\ 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

OF 

CALIFORNIA 

AND   THE 

OLD  SOUTHWEST  - 


COMPILED  AND  EDITED  BY 

KATHARINE  BERRY  JUDSON 

AUTHOR  OF  "MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  ALASKA,"  "MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 
OF  THE  PACIFIC  NORTHWEST,"  AND  "MONTANA." 


ILLUSTRATED 


CHICAGO 

A.  C.  McCLURG  &  CO, 
1912 


* 


Copyright 

A.  C.  McCLURG  &  CO. 
1912 

Published  April,  1912 


I.  JT.  3all  Printing  Compatig 
Chicago 


PREFACE 

IN  the  beginning  of  the  New-making,  the  ancient 
fathers  lived  successively  in  four  caves  in  the  Four- 
fold-containing-earth.  The  first  was  of  sooty 
blackness,  black  as  a  chimney  at  night  time;  the  sec 
ond,  dark  as  the  night  in  the  stormy  season;  the  third, 
like  a  valley  in  starlight;  the  fourth,  with  a  light  like 
the  dawning.  Then  they  came  up  in  the  night-shine 
into  the  World  of  Knowing  and  Seeing. 

So  runs  the  Zuni  myth,  and  it  typifies  well  the  men 
tal  development,  insight,  and  beauty  of  speech  of  the 
Indian  tribes  along  the  Pacific  Coast,  from  those  of 
Alaska  in  the  far-away  Northland,  with  half  of  life 
spent  in  actual  darkness  and  more  than  half  in  the 
struggle  for  existence  against  the  cold  and  the  storms 
loosed  by  fatal  curiosity  from  the  bear's  bag  of  bit 
ter,  icy  winds,  to  the  exquisite  imagery  of  the  Zunis 
and  other  desert  tribes,  on  their  sunny  plains  in  the 
Southland, 

It  was  in  the  night-shine  of  this  southern  land,  with 
its  clear,  dry  air  and  brilliant  stars,  that  the  Indians, 

V 

247055 


PREFACE 

looking  up  at  the  heavens  above  them,  told  the  story 
of  the  bag  of  stars  —  of  Utset,  the  First  Mother,  who 
gave  to  the  scarab  beetle,  when  the  floods  came,  the 
bag  of  Star  People,  sending  him  first  into  the  world 
above.  It  was  a  long  climb  to  the  world  above  and 
the  tired  little  fellow,  once  safe,  sat  down  by  the  sack. 
After  a  while  he  cut  a  tiny  hole  in  the  bag,  just  to 
see  what  was  in  it,  but  the  Star  People  flew  out  and 
filled  the  heavens  everywhere.  Yet  he  saved  a  few 
stars  by  grasping  the  neck  of  the  sack,  and  sat  there, 
frightened  and  sad,  when  Utset,  the  First  Mother, 
asked  what  he  had  done  with  the  beautiful  Star  People. 
The  Sky-father  himself,  in  those  early  years  of 
the  New-making,  spread  out  his  hand  with  the  palm 
downward,  and  into  all  the  wrinkles  of  his  hand  set 
the  semblance  of  shining  yellow  corn-grains,  gleaming 
like  sparks  of  fire  in  the  dark  of  the  early  World-dawn. 
"  See,"  said  Sky-father  to  Earth-mother,  "  our  chil 
dren  shall  be  guided  by  these  when  the  Sun-father  is 
not  near  and  thy  mountain  terraces  are  as  darkness  it 
self.  Then  shall  our  children  be  guided  by  light."  So 
Sky-father  created  the  stars.  Then  he  said,  "  And 
even  as  these  grains  gleam  upward  from  the  water, 
so  shall  seed  grain  like  them  spring  up  from  the  earth 
when  touched  by  water,  to  nourish  our  children."  And 
he  created  the  golden  Seed-stuff  of  the  corn. 


VI 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


The  Beginning  of  Newness       .     . 
The  Men  of  the  Early  Times 
Creation  and  Longevity       .     .     . 

Old    Mole's    Creation      .     .     .     . 
The  Creation  of  the  World     .     . 

Spider's    Creation 

The  Gods  and  the  Six  Regions     . 
How  Old  Man  Above  Created  the 

World 

The  Search  for  the  Middle  and  the 

Hardening  of  the  World     . 
Origin  of  Light 

Pokoh,  the  Old  Man     .     .     .    . 

Thunder  and  Lightning       .     .     . 

Creation   of   Man       

The  First  Man  and  Woman    .     . 

Old  Man  Above  and  the  Grizzlies 
The  Creation  of  Man-kind  and  the 

Flood        

The  Birds  and  the  Flood     .     .     . 
Legend  of  the  Flood 


Zuni  (New  Mexico)  . 
Zuni  (New  Mexico)  . 
Achomawi  (Pit  River, 

Cal.) 

Shastika  (Cal)       .     . 
Pima  (Arizona) 
Sia  (New  Mexico) 


PAGE 
19 
24 

26 
27 
29 
32 
36 


The  Great  Flood 


Shastika    (Cal.)      ...  37  • 

Zuni  (New  Mexico)  .     .  39 
Gallinomero   (Russian 

River,   Cal.)        ...  47  . 
Pat    Ute    (near  Kern 

River,  Cal.)  ....  48  • 
Maidu  (near  Sacramento 

Valley,    Cal.)      ...  50* 
Miwok   (San  Joaquin 

Valley,    Cal.)      ...  51   . 
Nishinam   (near  Bear 

River,   Cal.)        ...  54  ' 

Shastika  (Cal.)       ...  55    , 

Pima  (Arizona)     ...  58 

Pima  (Arizona)     ...  62 
Ashochimi  (Coast  Indians, 

Cal.) 63  . 

Sia  (New  Mexico)     .     .  64 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

The  Flood  and  the  Theft  of  Fire  .     Tolowa  (Del  Norte  Co., 

Cal) 68 

Legend  of  the  Flood  in  Sacramento     Maidu  (near  Sacramento  - 

Valley Valley,  Cal.)       ...       70 

The  Fable  of  the  Animals    .     .     .     Karok   (near  Klamath 

River,  Cal.)  ....       72 

Coyote  and   Sun Pal  Ute  (near  Kern 

River,  Cal.)  ....       75 

The  Course  of  the  Sun       .     .     .     Sia  (New  Mexico)     .     .       77 
The  Foxes  and   the  Sun     .     .     .     Yurok  (near  Klamath 

River,  Cal.)  ....       80 

The  Theft  of  Fire Karok   (near  Klamath 

River,  Cal.)  ....       8 1 

The  Theft  of  Fire Sia  (New  Mexico}     .     .       83 

The  Earth-hardening  after  the 

Flood        Sia  (New  Mexico)     .     .       85 

The  Origins  of  the  Totems  and  of 

Names Zuni  (New  Mexico)  .     .       88 

Traditions  of  Wanderings   .     .     .     Hopi  (Arizona)      ...       89 
The  Migration  of  the  Water 

People Walpi  (Arizona)  ...       92 

Coyote  and  the  Mesquite  Beans  .     Pima  (Arizona)     ...       94 
Origin  of  the  Sierra  Nevadas  and     Yokuts  (near  Fresno, 

Coast  Range Cal)     ......       95 

Yosemite  Valley  and  its  Indian 

Names 97 

Legend    of    Tu-tok-a-nu'-la     (El 

Capitan)        Yosemite  Valley     .     .     .     100 

Legend  of  Tis-se'-yak  (South 

Dome  and  North  Dome)     .     .     Yosemite  Valley     .     .     .     102 
Historic  Tradition   of   the   Upper 

Tuolumne Yosemite   Valley     .     .     .     104 

California  Big  Trees       ....     Pai  Ute    (near  Kern 

River,  Cal.)  .     .     .     .     106 
The  Children  of  Cloud       .     .     .     Pima  (Arizona)     ...     107 

xii 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

The   Cloud   People     .     .     .    .»     .     Sia  (New  Mexico)     .     .  110 

Rain   Song Sia  (New  Mexico)     .     .  113 

Rain  Song 114 

Rain  Song Sia  (New  Mexico)     .     .  115 

The  Corn  Maidens     ......     Zuni    (New   Mexico)     .  116 

The    Search    for    the  Corn 

Maidens Zuni    (New   Mexico)     .  120 

Hasjelti  and   Hostjoghon     .     .     .     Navajo  (New  Mexico)  .  132 

The  Song-hunter Navajo  (New  Mexico)  .  134 

Sand  Painting  of  the  Song-hunter     Navajo 137 

The  Guiding  Duck  and  the  Lake 

of   Death Zuni  (New  Mexico)  .     .  140 

The  Boy  who  Became  a  God     .     .     Navajo  (New  Mexico)   .  144 

»     Origin  of  Clear  Lake Patwin     (Sacramento 

Valley,  Cal)       .     .     .  151 

The  Great  Fire Patwin     (Sacramento 

Valley,  Cal.)       ...  152 
Origin    of    the    Raven     and    the 

Macaw Zuni  (New  Mexico)  .     .  154 

Coyote  and  the  Hare      ....     Sia  (New  Mexico)     .     .  157 

Coyote  and  the  Quails    ....     Pima  (Arizona)     .     .     .  160 

Coyote  and  the  Fawns    ....     Sia  (New  Mexico)     .     .  162 

How  the  Bluebird  Got  its  Color    .     Pima  (Arizona)     .     .     .  164 

Coyote's  Eyes Pima  (Arizona)          .     .  166 

Coyote  and  the  Tortillas     .     .     .     Pima  (Arizona)     .     .     .  168 

Coyote  as  a  Hunter Sia  (New  Mexico)     .     .  170 

How  the  Rattlesnake  Learned   to 

Bite Pima  (Arizona)     .     .     .  175 

Coyote  and   the  Rattlesnake     .     .     Sia  (New  Mexico)     .     .  178 
Origin   of  the  Saguaro   and   Palo 

Verde  Cacti Pima  (Arizona)     .     .     .  182 

The  Thirsty  Quails Pima  (Arizona)     .     .     .  184 

The  Boy  and  the  Beast    ....     Pima  (Arizona)     .     .     .  185 

xiii 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Why  the  Apaches  are  Fierce  .  .  Pima  (Arizona)  ...  187 

Speech  on  the  Warpath  ....  Pima  (Arizona)  .  .  .  188 

The  Spirit  Land Gallinomero  (Russian 

River,  Cal.)  ....  192 
Song  of  the  Ghost  Dance  .  .  .  Pat  Ute  (Kern  River, 

Cal.) 193 


xiv 


PREFACE 

It  is  around  the  beautiful  Corn  Maidens  that  per 
haps  the  most  delicate  of  all  imagery  clings,  Maid 
ens  offended  when  the  dancers  sought  their  presence 
all  too  freely,  no  longer  holding  them  so  precious  as 
in  the  olden  time,  so  that,  in  white  garments,  they  be 
came  invisible  in  the  thickening  white  mists.  Then 
sadly  and  noiselessly  they  stole  in  amongst  the  people 
and  laid  their  corn  wands  down  amongst  the  trays,  and 
laid  their  white  broidered  garments  thereon,  as  moth 
ers  lay  soft  kilting  over  their  babes.  Even  as  the  mists 
became  they,  and  with  the  mists  drifting,  fled  away, 
to  the  far  south  Summer-land. 

Then  began  the  search  for  the  Corn  Maidens,  found 
at  last  only  by  Paiyatuma,  the  god  of  dawn,  from  whose 
flute  came  wonderful  music,  as  of  liquid  voices  in 
caverns,  or  the  echo  of  women's  laughter  in  water  vases, 
heard  only  by  men  of  nights  as  they  wandered  up  and 
down  the  river  trail. 

When  he  paused  to  rest  on  his  journey,  playing  on 
his  painted  flute,  butterflies  and  birds  sought  him, 
and  he  sent  them  before  to  seek  the  Maidens,  even 
before  they  could  hear  the  music  of  his  song-sound. 
And  the  Maidens  filled  their  colored  trays  with  seed- 
corn  from  their  fields,  and'  over  all  spread  broidered 
mantles,  broidered  with  the  bright  colors  and  the 
creature  signs  of  the  Summer-land,  and  thus  following 


Vll 


PREFACE 

him,  journeyed  only  at  night  and  dawn,  as  the  dead 
do,  and  the  stars  also. 

Back  to  the  Seed  People  they  came,  but  only  to 
give  Vo  the  ancients  the  precious  seed,  and  this  hav 
ing  been  given,  the  darkness  of  night  fell  around  them. 
As  shadows  in  deep  night,  so  these  Maidens  of  the  Seed 
of  Corn,  the  beloved  and  beautiful,  were  seen  no 
more  of  men.  But  Shutsuka  walked  behind  the  Maid 
ens,  whistling  shrilly  as  they  sped  southward,  even  as 
the  frost  wind  whistles  when  the  corn  is  gathered  away, 
among  the  lone  canes  and  the  dry  leaves  of  a  gleaned 
field. 

The  myths  of  California,  in  general,  are  of  the  same 
type  as  those  given  in  a  preceding  volume  on  the  myths 
of  the  Pacific  Northwest.  Indeed  many  of  the  myths 
of  Northern  Californian  tribes  are  so  obviously  the 
same  as  those  of  the  Modocs  and  Klamath  Indians  that 
they  have  not  been  repeated.  Coyote  and  Fox  reign 
supreme,  as  they  do  along  the  entire  coast,  though  the 
birds  of  the  air  take  a  greater  part  in  the  creation  of 
things.  These  stories  are  quaint  and  whimsical,  but 
they  lack  the  beauty  of  the  myths  of  the  desert  tribes. 
There  is  nothing  in  all  Californian  myths,  so  far  as  I 
have  studied  them,  which  in  any  way  compares  with 
the  one  of  the  Corn  Maidens,  referred  to  above,  or  the 

Sia  myths  of  the  Cloud  People. 

viii 


PREFACE 

In  the  compilation  of  this  volume,  the  same  idea 
has  governed  as  in  the  two  preceding  volumes  —  simply 
the  preparation  of  a  volume  of  the  quainter,  purer 
myths,  suitable  for  general  reading,  authentic,  and 
with  illustrations  of  the  country  portrayed,  but  with 
no  pretensions  to  being  a  purely  scientific  piece  of 
work.  Scientific  people  know  well  the  government 
documents  and  reports  of  learned  societies  which  con 
tain  myths  of  all  kinds,  good,  bad,  and  indifferent.  But 
the  volumes  of  this  series  are  intended  for  popular  use. 
Changes  have  been  made  only  in  abridgments  of  long 
conversations  and  of  ceremonial  details  which  detracted 
from  the  myth  as  a  myth,  even  though  of  great  ethno 
logical  importance. 

Especial  credit  is  due  in  this  volume  to  the  work  of 
the  ethnologists  whose  work  has  appeared  in  the  pub 
lications  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  and  the  U.  S. 
Geographical  and  Geological  Surveys  West  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains:  to  Mrs.  Mathilda  Cox  Stevenson 
for  the  Sia  myths,  and  to  the  late  James  Stevenson  for 
the  Navajo  myths  and  sand  painting;  to  the  late  Frank 
Hamilton  Gushing  for  the  Zuni  myths,  to  the  late  Frank 
Russell  for  the  Pima  myths,  to  the  late  Stephen  Powers 
for  the  Californian  myths,  and  also  to  James  Mooney 
and  Cosmos  Mindeleff.  The  recent  publications  of  the 

ix 


PREFACE 

University  of  California  on  the  myths  of  the  tribes  of 
that  State  have  not  been  included. 

Thanks  are  also  due  to  the  Smithsonian  Institution 
for  the  illustrations  accredited  to  them,  to  the  Carnegie 
Institution  of  Washington  for  illustrations  from  the 
Desert  Botanical  Laboratory  at  Tucson,  Arizona, 
and  to  Mr.  Ferdinard  Ellerman  of  the  Mount  Wilson 
Observatory  and  to  others. 

K.  B.  J. 
Department  of  History, 

University  of  Washington. 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 
Zuni  Sand  Painting  of  "  The  Song  Hunter "       .     .     Frontispiece 

Zuni  Sand  Altar  in  Kiva  of  the  North 24 

Interior  of  a  Pueblo  Zuni  House 25 

Desert  Garden,  Showing  Cholla,  Small  Cereus,  and  Giant  Cacti  32 

Girl  Carrying  Water  Olla 33 

Yuma   Indians 3° 

"  When  the  white  man  came     *                     3$ 

"  Great  towns  built  on  the  heights  "  (Castle  of  Montezuma)     .  39 

Yucca  Growing  through  Sand  Dune  in  Tularosa  Desert     .     .  44 

Indian  Writing 48 

Sierra   Nevada  Mountains 52 

Huts  of  Papago  (Pima)  Indians,  Showing  Village  Bake-oven     .  58 

Grand  Canon  of  the  Colorado 62 

The  Sands  of  the  Desert 63 

«     *     *     *     go  that  the  waters  on  the  plains  flower  into  Big 

Waters"    (Golden  Gate) 7° 

Fallen  Leaf  Lake 71 

San   Luis   Rey   Mission 74 

Sia  Ceremonial  Vase 84 

From  the  Bell-tower  of  San  Xavier  Mission,  Tuscon,  Arizona  90 

Indians  in  the  Grand  Canon 91 

Happy  Isles.     Yosemite 96 

A-wai'-a  (Mirror  Lake) 97 

Po'-ho-no  (Bridal  Veil  Falls) 98 

Cholok,  "  the  Fall  " 99 

"  Then  came  the  tiny  Measuring  Worm  and  began  to  creep  up 

the   rock"    (El   Capitan) 100 

Cathedral  Spires 101 

Yosemite  Valley.   Vernal  Falls  and  Nevada  Falls  from  Glacier 

Point                                             I02 


xv 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

"  South  Dome  is  the  woman  and  North  Dome  is  the  husband  "  103 

Woh-woh-nau,  the  Sacred  Trees  of  the  Monos 106 

Apache  Medicine  Shirt 107 

"The  Herati  are  the  floating  white  clouds     *     *     * "     .     .  no 

"  The  Heash  are  clouds  like  the  plains     *     *     * "       .     .     .  in 

Zuni  Ancestral  Rock  Gods 116 

The    Little    Basket-maker 124 

"On  the  mountains  where  the  fogs  meet" 132 

Apache   Ollas 133 

*  *     *     in  the  Northland  of  cold  and  white  loneliness  "  140 

Navajo  Blanket  Weaving 148 

Zuni  Pueblo  from  the  Southeast 154 

Climbing  up  the  Acoma  Trail 155 

Pinon  Tree  in  the  Grand  Canon 158 

San  Xavier  Mission,  Tucson,  Arizona 159 

Mesquite  and  Small  Cereus  Cactus 164 

Vases  with  Figures  of  Butterflies,  from  Sityatki 165 

Sia  Masks 172 

Palo  Verde  Cacti 182 

Pima  Irrigation  Dam 183 

In  the  Petrified  Forest  of  Arizona .  186 

*  *     *     threw    all    the    Apaches    over    the    mountains " 
(Apache  basket-maker) 187 

"  Bad  Indians  go  to  an  island  in  the  Bitter  Waters  "...  192 

"  The  giant  Sierras,  fringed  at  the  base  with  dark  pines  "     .     .  193 


xvi 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

OF 

CALIFORNIA 

AND  THE 

OLD  SOUTHWEST 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF 

CALIFORNIA  AND  THE 
OLD  SOUTHWEST 

THE  BEGINNING  OF  NEWNESS 

Zuni  (New  Mexico) 

BEFORE  the  beginning  of  the  New-making,  the 
All-father  Father  alone  had  being.     Through 
ages    there    was    nothing    else    except    black 
darkness. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  New-making,  the  All-father 
Father  thought  outward  in  space,  and  mists  were 
created  and  up-lifted.  Thus  through  his  knowledge 
he  made  himself  the  Sun  who  was  thus  created  and 
is  the  great  Father.  The  dark  spaces  brightened  with 
light.  The  cloud  mists  thickened  and  became  water. 

From  his  flesh,  the  Sun-father  created  the  Seed-stuff 
of  worlds,  and  he  himself  rested  upon  the  waters.  And 
these  two,  the  Four-fold-containing  Earth-mother  and 
the  All-covering  Sky-father,  the  surpassing  beings,  with 
power  of  changing  their  forms  even  as  smoke  changes 
in  the  wind,  were  the  father  and  mother  of  the  soul- 
beings. 

19 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

Then  as  man  and  woman  spoke  these  two  together. 
"  Behold!  "  said  Earth-mother,  as  a  great  terraced  bowl 
appeared  at  hand,  and  within  it  water,  "  This  shall  be 
the  home  of  my  tiny  children.  On  the  rim  of  each 
world-country  in  which  they  wander,  terraced  moun 
tains  shall  stand,  making  in  one  region  many  moun 
tains  by  which  one  country  shall  be  known  from 
another." 

Then  she  spat  on  the  water  and  struck  it  and  stirred 
it  with  her  fingers.  Foam  gathered  about  the  terraced 
rim,  mounting  higher  and  higher.  Then  with  her 
warm  breath  she  blew  across  the  terraces.  White  flecks 
of  foam  broke  away  and  floated  over  the  water.  But 
the  cold  breath  of  Sky-father  shattered  the  foam  and 
it  fell  downward  in  fine  mist  and  spray. 

Then  Earth-mother  spoke: 

"  Even  so  shall  white  clouds  float  up  from  the  great 
waters  at  the  borders  of  the  world,  and  clustering  about 
the  mountain  terraces  of  the  horizon,  shall  be  broken 
and  hardened  by  thy  cold.  Then  will  they  shed  down 
ward,  in  rain-spray,  the  water  of  life,  even  into  the 
hollow  places  of  my  lap.  For  in  my  lap  shall  nestle 
our  children,  man-kind  and  creature-kind,  for  warmth 
in  thy  coldness." 

So  even  now  the  trees  on  high  mountains  near  the 
clouds  and  Sky-father,  crouch  low  toward  Earth- 

20 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

mother  for  warmth  and  protection.  Warm  is  Earth- 
mother,  cold  our  Sky-father. 

Then  Sky-father  said,  "  Even  so.  Yet  I,  too,  will 
be  helpful  to  our  children."  Then  he  spread  his  hand 
out  with  the  palm  downward  and  into  all  the  wrinkles 
of  his  hand  he  set  the  semblance  of  shining  yellow  corn- 
grains;  in  the  dark  of  the  early  world-dawn  they 
gleamed  like  sparks  of  fire. 

"  See,"  he  said,  pointing  to  the  seven  grains  between 
his  thumb  and  four  fingers,  "  our  children  shall  be 
guided  by  these  when  the  Sun-father  is  not  near  and 
thy  terraces  are  as  darkness  itself.  Then  shall  our  chil 
dren  be  guided  by  lights."  So  Sky-father  created  the 
stars.  Then  he  said,  "  And  even  as  these  grains  gleam 
up  from  the  water,  so  shall  seed  grain  like  them  spring 
up  from  the  earth  when  touched  by  water,  to  nourish 
our  children."  And  thus  they  created  the  seed-corn. 
And  in  many  other  ways  they  devised  for  their  chil 
dren,  the  soul-beings. 

But  the  first  children,  in  a  cave  of  the  earth,  were 
unfinished.  The  cave  was  of  sooty  blackness,  black  as 
a  chimney  at  night  time,  and  foul.  Loud  became  their 
murmurings  and  lamentations,  until  many  sought  to  es 
cape,  growing  wiser  and  more  man-like. 

But  the  earth  was  not  then  as  we  now  see  it.  Then 
the  Sun-father  sent  down  two  sons  (sons  also  of  the 

21 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS    OF    CALIFORNIA 

Foam-cap),  the  Beloved  Twain,  Twin  Brothers  of 
Light,  yet  Elder  and  Younger,  the  Right  and  the  Left, 
like  to  question  and  answer  in  deciding  and  doing.  To 
them  the  Sun-father  imparted  his  own  wisdom.  He 
gave  them  the  great  cloud-bow,  and  for  arrows  the 
thunderbolts  of  the  four  quarters.  For  buckler,  they 
had  the  fog-making  shield,  spun  and  woven  of  the  float 
ing  clouds  and  spray.  The  shield  supports  its  bearer, 
as  clouds  are  supported  by  the  wind,  yet  hides  its  bearer 
also.  And  he  gave  to  them  the  fathership  and  control 
of  men  and  of  all  creatures.  Then  the  Beloved  Twain, 
with  their  great  cloud-bow  lifted  the  Sky-father  into 
the  vault  of  the  skies,  that  the  earth  might  become 
warm  and  fitter  for  men  and  creatures.  Then  along 
the  sun-seeking  trail,  they  sped  to  the  mountains  west 
ward.  With  magic  knives  they  spread  open  the  depths 
of  the  mountain  and  uncovered  the  cave  in  which 
dwelt  the  unfinished  men  and  creatures.  So  they  dwelt 
with  men,  learning  to  know  them,  and  seeking  to  lead 
them  out. 

Now  there  were  growing  things  in  the  depths,  like 
grasses  and  vines.  So  the  Beloved  Twain  breathed  on 
the  stems,  growing  tall  toward  the  light  as  grass  is 
wont  to  do,  making  them  stronger,  and  twisting  them 
upward  until  they  formed  a  great  ladder  by  which 

men  and  creatures  ascended  to  a  second  cave. 

22 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

Up  the  ladder  into  the  second  cave-world,  men  and 
the  beings  crowded,  following  closely  the  Two  Little 
but  Mighty  Ones.  Yet  many  fell  back  and  were  lost 
in  the  darkness.  They  peopled  the  under-world  from 
which  they  escaped  in  after  time,  amid  terrible  earth 
shakings. 

In  this  second  cave  it  was  as  dark  as  the  night  of 
a  stormy  season,  but  larger  of  space  and  higher.  Here 
again  men  and  the  beings  increased,  and  their  com 
plainings  grew  loud.  So  the  Twain  again  increased 
the  growth  of  the  ladder,  and  again  led  men  upward, 
not  all  at  once,  but  in  six  bands,  to  become  the  fathers 
of  the  six  kinds  of  men,  the  yellow,  the  tawny  gray, 
the  red,  the  white,  the  black,  and  the  mingled.  And 
this  time  also  many  were  lost  or  left  behind. 

Now  the  third  great  cave  was  larger  and  lighter, 
like  a  valley  in  starlight.  And  again  they  increased 
in  number.  And  again  the  Two  led  them  out  into  a 
fourth  cave.  Here  it  was  light  like  dawning,  and  men 
began  to  perceive  and  to  learn  variously,  according  to 
their  natures,  wherefore  the  Twain  taught  them  first 
to  seek  the  Sun-father. 

Then  as  the  last  cave  became  filled  and  men  learned 
to  understand,  the  Two  led  them  forth  again  into  the 
great  upper  world,  which  is  the  World  of  Knowing 
and  Seeing. 

23 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


THE  MEN  OF  THE  EARLY  TIMES 

Zuni  (New  Mexico) 

EIGHT  years  was  but  four  days  and  four  nights 
when  the  world  was  new.    It  was  while  such 
days  and  nights  continued  that  men  were  led 
out,  in  the  night-shine  of  the  World  of  Seeing.     For 
even  when  they  saw  the  great  star,  they  thought  it  the 
Sun-father  himself,  it  so  burned  their  eye-balls. 

Men  and  creatures  were  more  alike  then  than  now. 
Our  fathers  were  black,  like  the  caves  they  came  from ; 
their  skins  were  cold  and  scaly  like  those  of  mud 
creatures;  their  eyes  were  goggled  like  an  owl's;  their 
ears  were  like  those  of  cave  bats;  their  feet  were 
webbed  like  those  of  walkers  in  wet  and  soft  places; 
they  had  tails,  long  or  short,  as  they  were  old  or  young. 
Men  crouched  when  they  walked,  or  crawled  along 
the  ground  like  lizards.  They  feared  to  walk  straight, 
but  crouched  as  before  time  they  had  in  their  cave 
worlds,  that  they  might  not  stumble  or  fall  in  the  un 
certain  light. 

When  the  morning  star  arose,  they  blinked  exces 
sively  when  they  beheld  its  brightness  and  cried  out 

24 


Courtesy  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution 

ZUNI  SAND  ALTAR  IN  KIVA  OF  THE  NORTH 


QJi 


N 

3 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

that  now  surely  the  Father  was  coming.  But  it  was 
only  the  elder  of  the  Bright  Ones,  heralding  with  his 
shield  of  flame  the  approach  of  the  Sun-father.  And 
when,  low  down  in  the  east,  the  Sun-father  himself  ap 
peared,  though  shrouded  in  the  mist  of  the  world- 
waters,  they  were  blinded  and  heated  by  his  light  and 
glory.  They  fell  down  wallowing  and  covered  their 
eyes  with  their  hands  and  arms,  yet  ever  as  they  looked 
toward  the  light,  they  struggled  toward  the  Sun  as 
moths  and  other  night  creatures  seek  the  light  of  a 
camp  fire.  Thus  they  became  used  to  the  light.  But 
when  they  rose  and  walked  straight,  no  longer  bend 
ing,  and  looked  upon  each  other,  they  sought  to  clothe 
themselves  with  girdles  and  garments  of  bark  and 
rushes.  And  when  by  walking  only  upon  their  hinder 
feet  they  were  bruised  by  stone  and  sand,  they  plaited 
sandals  of  yucca  fibre. 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


CREATION  AND  LONGEVITY 

Achomawi  (Pit  River,  Gal.) 

OYOTE  began  the  creation  of  the  earth,  but 
Eagle  completed  it.  Coyote  scratched  it  up 
with  his  paws  out  of  nothingness,  but  Eagle 
complained  there  were  no  mountains  for  him  to  perch 
on.  So  Coyote  made  hills,  but  they  were  not  high 
enough.  Therefore  Eagle  scratched  up  great  ridges. 
When  Eagle  flew  over  them,  his  feathers  dropped 
down,  took  root,  and  became  trees.  The  pin  feathers 
became  bushes  and  plants. 

Coyote  and  Fox  together  created  man.  They  quar 
relled  as  to  whether  they  should  let  men  live  always  or 
not.  Coyote  said,  "  If  they  want  to  die,  let  them  die.7' 
Fox  said,  "  If  they  want  to  come  back,  let  them  come 
back."  But  Coyote's  medicine  was  stronger,  and  nobody 
ever  came  back. 

Coyote  also  brought  fire  into  the  world,  for  the  In 
dians  were  freezing.  He  journeyed  far  to  the  west, 
to  a  place  where  there  was  fire,  stole  some  of  it,  and 
brought  it  home  in  his  ears.  He  kindled  a  fire  in  the 
mountains,  and  the  Indians  saw  the  smoke  of  it,  and 

went  up  and  got  fire. 

26 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


OLD  MOLE'S  CREATION 

Shastika  (Cat.) 

ENG,  long  ago,  before  there  was  any  earth,  Old 
Mole  burrowed  underneath  Somewhere,  and 
threw  up  the  earth  which  forms  the  world. 
Then  Great  Man  created  the  people.  But  the  Indians 
were  cold. 

Now  in  the  east  gleamed  the  white  Fire  Stone. 
Therefore  Coyote  journeyed  eastward,  and  brought 
back  the  Fire  Stone  for  the  Indians.  So  people  had 
fire. 

In  the  beginning,  Sun  had  nine  brothers,  all  flaming 
hot  like  himself.  But  Coyote  killed  the  nine  broth 
ers  and  so  saved  the  world  from  burning  up.  But 
Moon  also  had  nine  brothers  all  made  of  ice,  like  him 
self,  and  the  Night  People  almost  froze  to  death. 
Therefore  Coyote  went  away  out  on  the  eastern  edge 
of  the  world  with  his  flint-stone  knife.  He  heated 
stones  to  keep  his  hands  warm,  and  as  the  Moons  arose, 
he  killed  one  after  another  with  his  flint-stone  knife, 
until  he  had  slain  nine  of  them.  Thus  the  people  were 

saved  from  freezing  at  night. 

27 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

When  it  rains,  some  Indian,  sick  in  heaven,  is  weep 
ing.  Long,  long  ago,  there  was  a  good  young  Indian 
on  earth.  When  he  died  the  Indians  wept  so  that  a 
flood  came  upon  the  earth,  and  drowned  all  people  ex 
cept  one  couple. 


28 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


THE  CREATION  OF  THE  WORLD 

Pima  (Arizona) 

IN  the  beginning  there  was  nothing  at  all  except 
darkness.  All  was  darkness  and  emptiness.  For  a 
long,  long  while,  the  darkness  gathered  until  it 
became  a  great  mass.  Over  this  the  spirit  of  Earth 
Doctor  drifted  to  and  fro  like  a  fluffy  bit  of  cotton  in 
the  breeze.  Then  Earth  Doctor  decided  to  make  for 
himself  an  abiding  place.  So  he  thought  within  him 
self,  "  Come  forth,  some  kind  of  plant,"  and  there  ap 
peared  the  creosote  bush.  He  placed  this  before  him 
and  set  it  upright.  But  it  at  once  fell  over.  He  set  it 
upright  again ;  again  it  fell.  So  it  fell  until  the  fourth 
time  it  remained  upright.  Then  Earth  Doctor  took 
from  his  breast  a  little  dust  and  flattened  it  into  a  cake. 
When  the  dust  cake  was  still,  he  danced  upon  it,  sing 
ing  a  magic  song. 

Next  he  created  some  black  insects  which  made  black 
gum  on  the  creosote  bush.  Then  he  made  a  termite 
which  worked  with  the  small  earth  cake  until  it  grew 
very  large.  As  he  sang  and  danced  upon  it,  the  flat 

world  stretched  out  on  all  sides  until  it  was  as  large 

29 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

as  it  is  now.  Then  he  made  a  round  sky-cover  to  fit 
over  it,  round  like  the  houses  of  the  Pimas.  But  the 
earth  shook  and  stretched,  so  that  it  was  unsafe.  So 
Earth  Doctor  made  a  gray  spider  which  was  to  spin 
a  web  around  the  edges  of  the  earth  and  sky,  fastening 
them  together.  When  this  was  done,  the  earth  grew 
firm  and  solid. 

Earth  Doctor  made  water,  mountains,  trees,  grass, 
and  weeds  —  made  everything  as  we  see  it  now.  But 
all  was  still  inky  blackness.  Then  he  made  a  dish, 
poured  water  into  it,  and  it  became  ice.  He  threw  this 
round  block  of  ice  far  to  the  north,  and  it  fell  at  the 
place  where  the  earth  and  sky  were  woven  together.  At 
once  the  ice  began  to  gleam  and  shine.  We  call  it  now 
the  sun.  It  rose  from  the  ground  in  the  north  up  into 
the  sky  and  then  fell  back.  Earth  Doctor  took  it  and 
threw  it  to  the  west  where  the  earth  and  sky  were 
sewn  together.  It  rose  into  the  sky  and  again  slid  back 
to  the  earth.  Then  he  threw  it  to  the  far  south,  but  it 
slid  back  again  to  the  flat  earth.  Then  at  last  he  threw 
it  to  the  east.  It  rose  higher  and  higher  in  the  sky  un 
til  it  reached  the  highest  point  in  the  round  blue  cover 
and  began  to  slide  down  on  the  other  side.  And  so  the 
sun  does  even  yet. 

Then  Earth  Doctor  poured  more  water  into  the  dish 
and  it  became  ice.  He  sang  a  magic  song,  and  threw 

30 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF    CALIFORNIA 

the  round  ball  of  ice  to  the  north  where  the  earth  and 
sky  are  woven  together.  It  gleamed  and  shone,  but  not 
so  brightly  as  the  sun.  It  became  the  moon,  and  it 
rose  in  the  sky,  but  fell  back  again,  just  as  the  sun  had 
done.  So  he  threw  the  ball  to  the  west,  and  then  to 
the  south,  but  it  slid  back  each  time  to  the  earth.  Then 
he  threw  it  to  the  east,  and  it  rose  to  the  highest  point 
in  the  sky-cover  and  began  to  slide  down  on  the  other 
side.  And  so  it  does  even  to-day,  following  the  sun. 

But  Earth  Doctor  saw  that  when  the  sun  and  moon 
were  not  in  the  sky,  all  was  inky  darkness.  So  he  sang 
a  magic  song,  and  took  some  water  into  his  mouth  and 
blew  it  into  the  sky,  in  a  spray,  to  make  little  stars. 
Then  he  took  his  magic  crystal  and  broke  it  into  pieces 
and  threw  them  into  the  sky,  to  make  the  larger  stars. 
Next  he  took  his  walking  stick  and  placed  ashes  on  the 
end  of  it.  Then  he  drew  it  across  the  sky  to  form  the 
Milky  Way.  So  Earth  Doctor  made  all  the  stars. 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF    CALIFORNIA 


SPIDER'S  CREATION 

Sia  (New  Mexico) 

IN  the  beginning,  long,  long  ago,  there  was  but  one 
being  in  the  lower  world.  This  was  the  spider, 
Sussistinnako.  At  that  time  there  were  no  other 
insects,  no  birds,  animals,  or  any  other  living  creature. 

The  spider  drew  a  line  of  meal  from  north  to  south 
and  then  crossed  it  with  another  line  running  east  and 
west.  On  each  side  of  the  first  line,  north  of  the  sec 
ond,  he  placed  two  small  parcels.  They  were  precious 
but  no  one  knows  what  was  in  them  except  Spider. 
Then  he  sat  down  near  the  parcels  and  began  to  sing. 
The  music  was  low  and  sweet  and  the  two  parcels  ac 
companied  him,  by  shaking  like  rattles.  Then  two 
women  appeared,  one  from  each  parcel. 

In  a  short  time  people  appeared  and  began  walking 
around.  Then  animals,  birds,  and  insects  appeared, 
and  the  spider  continued  to  sing  until  his  creation  was 
complete. 

But  there  was  no  light,  and  as  there  were  many  peo 
ple,  they  did  not  pass  about  much  for  fear  of  tread 
ing  upon  each  other.  The  two  women  first  created 

32 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

were  the  mothers  of  all.  One  was  named  Utset  and  she 
was  the  mother  of  all  Indians.  The  other  was  Now- 
utset,  and  she  was  the  mother  of  all  other  nations. 
While  it  was  still  dark,  the  spider  divided  the  people 
into  clan's,  saying  to  some,  "  You  are  of  the  Corn  clan, 
and  you  are  the  first  of  all."  To  others  he  said,  "  You 
belong  to  the  Coyote  clan."  So  he  divided  them  into 
their  clans,  the  clans  of  the  Bear,  the  Eagle,  and  other 
clans. 

After  Spider  had  nearly  created  the  earth,  Ha- 
arts,  he  thought  it  would  be  well  to  have  rain  to  water 
it,  so  he  created  the  Cloud  People,  the  Lightning  Peo 
ple,  the  Thunder  People,  and  the  Rainbow  People,  to 
work  for  the  people  of  Ha-arts,  the  earth.  He  divided 
this  creation  into  six  parts,  and  each  had  its  home  in 
a  spring  in  the  heart  of  a  great  mountain  upon  whose 
summit  was  a  giant  tree.  One  was  in  the  spruce  tree 
on  the  Mountain  of  the  North;  another  in  the  pine 
tree  on  the  Mountain  of  the  West;  another  in  the  oak 
tree  on  the  Mountain  of  the  South ;  and  another  in  the 
aspen  tree  on  the  Mountain  of  the  East;  the  fifth  was 
on  the  cedar  tree  on  the  Mountain  of  the  Zenith;  and 
the  last  in  an  oak  on  the  Mountain  of  the  Nadir. 

The  spider  divided  the  world  into  three  parts:  Ha- 
arts,  the  earth;  Tinia,  the  middle  plain;  and  Hu-wa-ka, 
the  upper  plain.  Then  the  spider  gave  to  these  People 

33 


MYTHS   AND   LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

of  the  Clouds  and  to  the  rainbow,  Tinia,  the  middle 
plain. 

Now  it  was  still  dark,  but  the  people  of  Ha-arts 
made  houses  for  themselves  by  digging  in  the  rocks  and 
the  earth.  They  could  not  build  houses  as  they  do  now, 
because  they  could  not  see.  In  a  short  time  Utset  and 
Now-utset  talked  much  to  each  other,  saying, 

"  We  will  make  light,  that  our  people  may  see.  We 
cannot  tell  the  people  now,  but  to-morrow  will  be  a 
good  day  and  the  day  after  to-morrow  will  be  a  good 
day,"  meaning  that  their  thoughts  were  good.  So  they 
spoke  with  one  tongue.  They  said,  "  Now  all  is  cov 
ered  with  darkness,  but  after  a  while  we  will  have 
light." 

Then  these  two  mothers,  being  inspired  by  Sussistin- 
nako,  the  spider,  made  the  sun  from  white  shell,  turkis, 
red  stone,  and  abalone  shell.  After  making  the  sun, 
they  carried  him  to  the  east  and  camped  there,  since 
there  were  no  houses.  The  next  morning  they  climbed 
to  the  top  of  a  high  mountain  and  dropped  the  sun 
down  behind  it.  After  a  time  he  began  to  ascend. 
When  the  people  saw  the  light  they  were  happy. 

When  the  sun  was  far  off,  his  face  was  blue;  as  he 
came  nearer,  the  face  grew  brighter.  Yet  they  did  not 
see  the  sun  himself,  but  only  a  large  mask  which  cov 
ered  his  whole  body. 

34 


MYTHS   AND   LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

The  people  saw  that  the  world  was  large  and  the 
country  beautiful.  When  the  two  mothers  returned  to 
the  village,  they  said  to  the  people,  "We  are  the 
mothers  of  all." 

The  sun  lighted  the  world  during  the  day,  but  there 
was  no  light  at  night.  So  the  two  mothers  created  the 
moon  from  a  slightly  black  stone,  many  kinds  of  yellow 
stone,  turkis,  and  a  red  stone,  that  the  world  might  be 
lighted  at  night.  But  the  moon  travelled  slowly  and  did 
not  always  give  light.  Then  the  two  mothers  created  the 
Star  People  and  made  their  eyes  of  sparkling  white 
crystal  that  they  might  twinkle  and  brighten  the  world 
at  night.  When  the  Star  People  lived  in  the  lower 
world  they  were  gathered  into  beautiful  groups;  they 
were  not  scattered  about  as  they  are  in  the  upper  world. 


35 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 


THE  GODS  AND  THE  SIX  REGIONS 

IN  ancient  times,  Po-shai-an-ki-a,  the  father  of  the 
sacred  bands,  or  tribes,  lived  with  his  followers  in 
the  City  of  Mists,  the  Middle  Place,  guarded  by 
six  warriors,  the  prey  gods.     Toward  the  North,  he 
was  guarded  by  Long  Tail,  the  mountain  lion;  West 
by  Clumsy  Foot,  the  bear;  South  by  Black-Mark  Face, 
the  badger;  East  by  Hang  Tail,  the  wolf;  above  by 
White  Cap,  the  eagle;  below  by  Mole. 

So  when  he  was  about  to  go  forth  into  the  world,  he 
divided  the  earth  into  six  regions:  North,  the  Direc 
tion  of  the  Swept  or  Barren  Plains;  West,  the  Direc 
tion  of  the  Home  of  the  Waters ;  South,  the  Place  of 
the  Beautiful  Red;  East,  the  Direction  of  the  Home 
of  Day;  upper  regions,  the  Direction  of  the  Home  of 
the  High;  lower  regions,  the  Direction  of  the  Home 
of  the  Low. 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 


HOW  OLD  MAN  ABOVE  CREATED  THE 

WORLD 

Shastika  (Gal.) 

ENG,  long  ago,  when  the  world  was  so  new  that 
even  the  stars  were  dark,  it  was  very,  very  flat. 
Chareya,  Old  Man  Above,  could  not  see 
through  the  dark  to  the  new,  flat  earth.  Neither  could 
he  step  down  to  it  because  it  was  so  far  below  him.  With 
a  large  stone  he  bored  a  hole  in  the  sky.  Then  through 
the  hole  he  pushed  down  masses  of  ice  and  snow,  until 
a  great  pyramid  rose  from  the  plain.  Old  Man  Above 
climbed  down  through  the  hole  he  had  made  in  the 
sky,  stepping  from  cloud  to  cloud,  until  he  could  put 
his  foot  on  top  the  mass  of  ice  and  snow.  Then  with 
one  long  step  he  reached  the  earth. 

The  sun  shone  through  the  hole  in  the  sky  and  be 
gan  to  melt  the  ice  and  snow.  It  made  holes  in  the  ice 
and  snow.  When  it  was  soft,  Chareya  bored  with  his 
finger  into  the  earth,  here  and  there,  and  planted  the  first 
trees.  Streams  from  the  melting  snow  watered  the 
new  trees  and  made  them  grow.  Then  he  gathered  the 
leaves  which  fell  from  the  trees  and  blew  upon  them. 

37 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

They  became  birds.  He  took  a  stick  and  broke  it  into 
pieces.  Out  of  the  small  end  he  made  fishes  and  placed 
them  in  the  mountain  streams.  Of  the  middle  of  the 
stick,  he  made  all  the  animals  except  the  grizzly  bear. 
From  the  big  end  of  the  stick  came  the  grizzly  bear, 
who  was  made  master  of  all.  Grizzly  was  large  and 
strong  and  cunning.  When  the  earth  was  new  he 
walked  upon  two  feet  and  carried  a  large  club.  So 
strong  was  Grizzly  that  Old  Man  Above  feared  the 
creature  he  had  made.  Therefore,  so  that  he  might  be 
safe,  Chareya  hollowed  out  the  pyramid  of  ice  and 
snow  as  a  tepee.  There  he  lived  for  thousands  of  snows. 
The  Indians  knew  he  lived  there  because  they  could 
see  the  smoke  curling  from  the  smoke  hole  of  his  tepee. 
When  the  pale-face  came,  Old  Man  Above  went  away. 
There  is  no  longer  any  smoke  from  the  smoke  hole. 
White  men  call  the  tepee  Mount  Shasta. 


Putnam  d-  Valentine 


"  WHEN  THE  WHITE  MAN  CAME     .     .     .' 


Putnam  d-  1'nlcntine 


"GREAT  TOWNS  BUILT  IN  THE  HEIGHTS"   (CASTLE  OF  MONTEZUMA) 


MYTHS   AND   LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


THE  SEARCH  FOR  THE  MIDDLE  AND  THE 
HARDENING  OF  THE  WORLD 

Zunl  (New  Mexico) 

AS  it  was  with  the  first  men  and  creatures,  so  it 
was  with  the  world.  It  was  young  and  unripe.  .& 
Earthquakes  shook  the  world  and  rent  it. 
Demons  and  monsters  of  the  under-world  fled  forth. 
Creatures  became  fierce,  beasts  of  prey,  and  others 
turned  timid,  becoming  their  quarry.  Wretchedness 
and  hunger  abounded  and  black  magic.  Fear  was 
everywhere  among  them,  so  the  people,  in  dread  of 
their  precious  possessions,  became  wanderers,  living 
on  the  seeds  of  grass,  eaters  of  dead  and  slain  things. 
Yet,  guided  by  the  Beloved  Twain,  they  sought  in  the 
light  and  under  the  pathway  of  the  Sun,  the  Middle  of 
the  world,  over  which  alone  they  could  find  the  earth 
at  rest.1 

When  the  tremblings  grew  still  for  a  time,  the  peo 
ple  paused  at  the  First  of  Sitting  Places.     Yet  they    < 
were  still  poor  and  defenceless  and  unskilled,  and  the 

1  The  earth  was  flat  and  round,  like  a  plate. 

39 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

world  still  moist  and  unstable.  Demons  and  monsters 
fled  from  the  earth  in  times  of  shaking,  and  threatened 
wanderers. 

Then  the  Two  took  counsel  of  each  other.  The 
Elder  said  the  earth  must  be  made  more  stable  for 
men  and  the  valleys  where  their  children  rested.  If 
they  sent  down  their  fire  bolts  of  thunder,  aimed  to 
all  the  four  regions,  the  earth  would  heave  up  and 
down,  fire  would  belch  over  the  world  and  burn  it, 
floods  of  hot  water  would  sweep  over  it,  smoke  would 
blacken  the  daylight,  but  the  earth  would  at  last  be 
safer  for  men. 

So  the  Beloved  Twain  let  fly  the  thunderbolts. 

The  mountains  shook  and  trembled,  the  plains 
cracked  and  crackled  under  the  floods  and  fires,  and 
the  hollow  places,  the  only  refuge  of  men  and  creat 
ures,  grew  black  and  awful.  At  last  thick  rain  fell,  put 
ting  out  the  fires.  Then  water  flooded  the  world,  cut 
ting  deep  trails  through  the  mountains,  and  burying 
or  uncovering  the  bodies  of  things  and  beings.  Where 
they  huddled  together  and  were  blasted  thus,  their 
blood  gushed  forth  and  flowed  deeply,  here  in  rivers, 
there  in  floods,  for  gigantic  were  they.  But  the  blood 
was  charred  and  blistered  and  blackened  by  the  fires 
into  the  black  rocks  of  the  lower  mesas.1  There  were 

1  Lava. 

40 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

vast  plains  of  dust,  ashes,  and  cinders,  reddened  like  the 
mud  of  the  hearth  place.  Yet  many  places  behind  and 
between  the  mountain  terraces  were  unharmed  by  the 
fires,  and  even  then  green  grew  the  trees  and  grasses  and 
even  flowers  bloomed.  Then  the  earth  became  more 
stable,  and  drier,  and  its  lone  places  less  fearsome  since 
monsters  of  prey  were  changed  to  rock. 

But  ever  and  again  the  earth  trembled  and  the  peo 
ple  were  troubled. 

"  Let  us  again  seek  the  Middle,"  they  said.  So  they 
travelled  far  eastward  to  their  second  stopping  place, 
the  Place  of  Bare  Mountains. 

Again  the  world  rumbled,  and  they  travelled  into  a 
country  to  a  place  called  Where-tree-boles-stand-in- 
the-midst-of-waters.  There  they  remained  long,  say 
ing,  "  This  is  the  Middle."  They  built  homes  there. 
At  times  they  met  people  who  had  gone  before,  and 
thus  they  learned  war.  And  many  strange  things  hap 
pened  there,  as  told  in  speeches  of  the  ancient  talk. 

Then  when  the  earth  groaned  again,  the  Twain 
bade  them  go  forth,  and  they  murmured.  Many  re 
fused  and  perished  miserably  in  their  own  homes,  as 
do  rats  in  falling  trees,  or  flies  in  forbidden  food. 

But  the  greater  number  went  forward  until  they 
came  to  Steam-mist-in-the-midst-of-waters.  And  they 
saw  the  smoke  of  men's  hearth  fires  and  many  houses 

41 


MYTHS   AND   LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

scattered  over  the  hills  before  them.  When  they  came 
nearer,  they  challenged  the  people  rudely,  demanding 
who  they  were  and  why  there,  for  in  their  last  standing- 
place  they  had  had  touch  of  war. 

"  We  are  the  People  of  the  Seed,"  said  the  men  of 
the  hearth-fires,  "  born  elder  brothers  of  ye,  and  led 
of  the  gods." 

"  No,"  said  our  fathers,  "  we  are  led  of  the  gods  and 
we  are  the  Seed  People.  .  .  ." 

Long  lived  the  people  in  the  town  on  the  sunrise 
slope  of  the  mountains  of  Kahluelawan,  until  the  earth 
began  to  groan  warningly  again.  Loath  were  they  to 
leave  the  place  of  the  Kaka  and  the  lake  of  their  dead. 
But  the  rumbling  grew  louder  and  the  Twain  Beloved 
called,  and  all  together  they  journeyed  eastward,  seek 
ing  once  more  the  Place  of  the  Middle.  But  they 
grumbled  amongst  themselves,  so  when  they  came  to  a 
place  of  great  promise,  they  said,  "  Let  us  stay  here. 
Perhaps  it  may  be  the  Place  of  the  Middle." 

So  they  built  houses  there,  larger  and  stronger  than 
ever  before,  and  more  perfect,  for  they  were  strong  in 
numbers  and  wiser,  though  yet  unperfected  as  men. 
They  called  the  place  "  The  Place  of  Sacred  Stealing." 

Long  they  dwelt  there,  happily,  but  growing  wiser 
and  stronger,  so  that,  with  their  tails  and  dressed  in  the 
skins  of  animals,  they  saw  they  were  rude  and  ugly. 

42 


MYTHS   AND   LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

In  chase  or  in  war,  they  were  at  a  disadvantage,  for 
they  met  older  nations  of  men  with  whom  they  fought. 
No  longer  they  feared  the  gods  and  monsters,  but 
only  their  own  kind.  So  therefore  the  gods  called  a 
council. 

"  Changed  shall  ye  be,  oh  our  children,"  cried  the 
Twain.  "Ye  shall  walk  straight  in  the  pathways, 
clothed  in  garments,  and  without  tails,  that  ye  may 
sit  more  straight  in  council,  and  without  webs  to  your 
feet,  or  talons  on  your  hands." 

So  the  people  were  arranged  in  procession  like 
dancers.  And  the  Twain  with  their  weapons  and  fires 
of  lightning  shored  off  the  forelocks  hanging  down 
over  their  faces,  severed  the  talons,  and  slitted  the 
webbed  fingers  and  toes.  Sore  was  the  wounding  and 
loud  cried  the  foolish,  when  lastly  the  people  were  ar 
ranged  in  procession  for  the  razing  of  their  tails. 

But  those  who  stood  at  the  end  of  the  line,  shrinking 
farther  and  farther,  fled  in  their  terror,  climbing  trees 
and  high  places,  with  loud  chatter.  Wandering  far, 
sleeping  ever  in  tree  tops,  in  the  far-away  Summer- 
land,  they  are  sometimes  seen  of  far-walkers,  long  of 
tail  and  long  handed,  like  wizened  men-children. 

But  the  people  grew  in  strength,  and  became  more 
perfect,  and  more  than  ever  went  to  war.  They  grew 
vain.  They  had  reached  the  Place  of  the  Middle. 

43 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

They  said,  "  Let  us  not  wearily  wander  forth  again 
even  though  the  earth  tremble  and  the  Twain  bid  us 
forth." 

And  even  as  they  spoke,  the  mountain  trembled  and 
shook,  though  far-sounding. 

But  as  the  people  changed,  changed  also  were  the 
Twain,  small  and  misshapen,  hard-favored  and  un 
yielding  of  will,  strong  of  spirit,  evil  and  bad.  They 
taught  the  people  to  war,  and  led  them  far  to  the  east 
ward. 

At  last  the  people  neared,  in  the  midst  of  the  plains 
to  the  eastward,  great  towns  built  in  the  heights.  Great 
were  the  fields  and  possessions  of  this  people,  for  they 
knew  how  to  command  and  carry  the  waters,  bringing 
new  soil.  And  this,  too,  without  hail  or  rain.  So  our 
ancients,  hungry  with  long  wandering  for  new  food, 
were  the  more  greedy  and  often  gave  battle. 

It  was  here  that  the  Ancient  Woman  of  the  Elder 
People,  who  carried  her  heart  in  her  rattle  and  was 
deathless  of  wounds  in  the  body,  led  the  enemy,  cry 
ing  out  shrilly.  So  it  fell  out  ill  for  our  fathers.  For, 
moreover,  thunder  raged  and  confused  their  warriors, 
rain  descended  and  blinded  them,  stretching  their  bow 
strings  of  sinew  and  quenching  the  flight  of  their  ar 
rows  as  the  flight  of  bees  is  quenched  by  the  sprinkling 
plume  of  the  honey-hunter.  But  they  devised  bow 

44 


Courtesy,  Department  of  Botanical  Research,  Carnegie  Institution  of  Washington 

YUCCA  GROWING  THROUGH  SAND  DUNE  IN  TULAROSA  DESERT 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF    CALIFORNIA 

strings  of  yucca  and  the  Two  Little  Ones  sought  coun 
sel  of  the  Sun-father  who  revealed  the  life-secret  of 
the  Ancient  Woman  and  the  magic  powers  over  the 
under-fires  of  the  dwellers  of  the  mountains,  so  that  our 
enemy  in  the  mountain  town  was  overmastered.  And 
because  our  people  found  in  that  great  town  some  hid 
den  deep  in  the  cellars,  and  pulled  them  out  as  rats 
are  pulled  from  a  hollow  cedar,  and  found  them  black 
ened  by  the  fumes  of  their  war  magic,  yet  wiser  than 
the  common  people,  they  spared  them  and  received 
them  into  their  next  of  kin  of  the  Black  Corn.  .  .  . 
But  the  tremblings  and  warnings  still  sounded,  and 
the  people  searched  for  the  stable  Middle. 

Now  they  called  a  great  council  of  men  and  the 
beasts,  birds,  and  insects  of  all  kinds.  After  a  long 
council  it  was  said, 

"  Where  is  Water-skate?  He  has  six  legs,  all  very 
long.  Perhaps  he  can  feel  with  them  to  the  uttermost 
of  the  six  regions,  and  point  out  the  very  Middle." 

So  Water-skate  was  summoned.  But  lo!  It  was  the 
Sun-father  in  his  likeness  which  appeared.  And  he 
lifted  himself  to  the  zenith  and  extended  his  fingerfeet 
to  all  the  six  regions,  so  that  they  touched  the  north, 
the  great  waters ;  the  west,  and  the  south,  and  the  east, 
the  great  waters ;  and  to  the  northeast  the  waters  above, 
and  to  the  southwest  the  waters  below.  But  to  the  north 

45 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

his  finger  foot  grew  cold,  so  he  drew  it  in.  Then  grad 
ually  he  settled  down  upon  the  earth  and  said,  "  Where 
my  heart  rests,  mark  a  spot,  and  build  a  town  of  the 
Mid-most,  for  there  shall  be  the  Mid-most  Place  of  the 
Earth-mother." 

And  his  heart  rested  over  the  middle  of  the  plain 
and  valley  of  Zuni.  And  when  he  drew  in  his  finger- 
legs,  lo!  there  were  the  trail-roads  leading  out  and  in 
like  stays  of  a  spider's  nest,  into  and  from  the  mid-most 
place  he  had  covered. 

Here  because  of  their  good  fortune  in  finding  the 
/%  stable  Middle,  the  priest  father  called  the  town  the 

Abiding-place-of-happy- fortune. 


Copyrighted  by  George  H'harton  James 


GIRL  CARRYING  WATER  OLLA 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


ORIGIN  OF  LIGHT 

Gallinomero   (Russian  River,  Cal.) 

IN  the  earliest  beginning,  the  darkness  was  thick 
and  deep.    There  was  no  light.    The  animals  ran 
here  and  there,  always 'bumping  into  each  other. 
The  birds  flew  here  and  there,  but  continually  knocked 
against  each  other. 

Hawk  and  Coyote  thought  a  long  time  about  the 
darkness.  Then  Coyote  felt  his  way  into  a  swamp  and 
found  a  large  number  of  dry  tule  reeds.  He  made  a 
ball  of  them.  He  gave  the  ball  to  Hawk,  with  some 
flints,  and  Hawk  flew  up  into  the  sky,  where  he  touched 
off  the  tule  reeds  and  sent  the  bundle  whirling  around 
the  world.  But  still  the  nights  were  dark,  so  Coyote 
made  another  bundle  of  tule  reeds,  and  Hawk  flew  into 
the  air  with  them,  and  touched  them  off  with  the  flints. 
But  these  reeds  were  damp  and  did  not  burn  so  well. 
That  is  why  the  moon  does  not  give  so  much  light  as 
the  sun. 


47 


P 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


r 

POKOH,  THE  OLD  MAN 

Pal  Ute  (near  Kern  River,  Cal.) 

OKOH,  Old  Man,  they  say,  created  the  world. 
Pokoh   had   many   thoughts.      He   had   many 
blankets  in  which  he  carried  around  gifts  for 
men.    He  created  every  tribe  out  of  the  soil  where  they 
used  to  live.    That  is  why  an  Indian  wants  to  live  and 
die  in  his  native  place.    He  was  made  of  the  same  soil. 
Pokoh  did  not  wish  men  to  wander  and  travel,  but  to 
remain  in  their  birthplace. 

Long  ago,  Sun  was  a  man,  and  was  bad.  Moon  was 
good.  Sun  had  a  quiver  full  of  arrows,  and  they  are 
deadly.  Sun  wishes  to  kill  all  things. 

Sun  has  two  daughters  (Venus  and  Mercury)  and 
twenty  men  kill  them ;  but  after  fifty  days,  they  return 
to  life  again. 

Rainbow  is  the  sister  of  Pokoh,  and  her  breast  is 
covered  with  flowers. 

Lightning  strikes  the  ground  and  fills  the  flint  with 

48 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

fire.  That  is  the  origin  of  fire.  Some  say  the  beaver 
brought  fire  from  the  east,  hauling  it  on  his  broad,  flat 
tail.  That  is  why  the  beaver's  tail  has  no  hair  on  it, 
even  to  this  day.  It  was  burned  off. 

There  are  many  worlds.  Some  have  passed  and  some 
are  still  to  come.  In  one  world  the  Indians  all  creep ; 
in  another  they  all  walk;  in  another  they  all  fly.  Per 
haps  in  a  world  to  come,  Indians  may  walk  on  four 
legs ;  or  they  may  crawl  like  snakes ;  or  they  may  swim 
in  the  water  like  fish. 


49 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 


THUNDER  AND  LIGHTNING 

Maidu  (near  Sacramento  Valley,  Cal.) 

GREAT-MAN  created  the  world  and  all  the  peo 
ple.     At  first  the  earth  was  very  hot,  so  hot 
it  was  melted,  and  that  is  why  even  to-day  there 
is  fire  in  the  trunk  and  branches  of  trees,  and  in  the 
stones. 

Lightning  is  Great-Man  himself  coming  down 
swiftly  from  his  world  above,  and  tearing  apart  the 
trees  with  his  flaming  arm. 

Thunder  and  Lightning  are  two  great  spirits  who 
try  to  destroy  mankind.  But  Rainbow  is  a  good  spirit 
who  speaks  gently  to  them,  and  persuades  them  to  let 
the  Indians  live  a  little  longer. 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  CALIFORNIA 


CREATION  OF  MAN 

Miivok  (SanJoaquln  Valley,  Cal.) 

AFTER  Coyote  had  completed  making  the  world, 
he  began  to  think  about  creating  man.  He 
called  a  council  of  all  the  animals.  The  ani 
mals  sat  in  a  circle,  just  as  the  Indians  do,  with  Lion 
at  the  head,  in  an  open  space  in  the  forest.  On  Lion's 
right  was  Grizzly  Bear;  next  Cinnamon  Bear;  and  so 
on  to  Mouse,  who  sat  at  Lion's  left. 

Lion  spoke  first.  Lion  said  he  wished  man  to  have 
a  "terrible  voice,  like  himself,  so  that  he  could  frighten 
all  animals.  He  wanted  man  also  to  be  well  covered 
with  hair,  with  fangs  in  his  claws,  and  very  strong 
teeth. 

Grizzly  Bear  laughed.  He  said  it  was  ridiculous 
for  any  one  to  have  such  a  voice  as  Lion,  because  when 
he  roared  he  frightened  away  the  very  prey  for  which 
he  was  searching.  But  he  said  man  should  have  very 
great  strength ;  that  he  should  move  silently,  but  very 
swiftly;  and  he  should  be  able  to  seize  his  prey  with 
out  noise. 

Buck  said  man  would  look  foolish  without  antlers. 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

And  a  terrible  voice  was  absurd,  but  man  should  have 
ears  like  a  spider's  web,  and  eyes  like  fire. 

Mountain  Sheep  said  the  branching  antlers  would 
bother  man  if  he  got  caught  in  a  thicket.  If  man  had 
horns  rolled  up,  so  that  they  were  like  a  stone  on  each 
side  of  his  head,  it  would  give  his  head  weight  enough 
to  butt  very  hard. 

When  it  came  Coyote's  turn,  he  said  the  other  ani 
mals  were  foolish  because  they  each  wanted  man  to 
be  just  like  themselves.  Coyote  was  sure  he  could  make 
a  man  who  would  look  better  than  Coyote  himself, 
or  any  other  animal.  Of  course  he  would  have  to 
have  four  legs,  with  five  fingers.  Man  should  have  a 
strong  voice,  but  he  need  not  roar  all  the  time  with  it. 
And  he  should  have  feet  nearly  like  Grizzly  Bear's, 
because  he  could  then  stand  erect  when  he  needed  to. 
Grizzly  Bear  had  no  tail,  and  man  should  not  have 
any.  The  eyes  and  ears  of  Buck  were  good,  and  per 
haps  man  should  have  those.  Then  there  was  Fish, 
which  had  no  hair,  and  hair  was  a  burden  much  of  the 
year.  So  Coyote  thought  man  should  not  wear  fur. 
And  his  claws  should  be  as  long  as  the  Eagle's,  so  that 
he  could  hold  things  in  them.  But  no  animal  was  as 
cunning  and  crafty  as  Coyote,,  so  man  should  have  the 
wit  of  Coyote. 

Then  Beaver  talked.  Beaver  said  man  would  have 

52 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

to  have  a  tail,  but  it  should  be  broad  and  flat,  so  he 
could  haul  mud  and  sand  on  it.  Not  a  furry  tail,  be 
cause  they  were  troublesome  on  account  of  fleas. 

Owl  said  man  would  be  useless  without  wings. 

But  Mole  said  wings  would  be  folly.  Man  would 
be  sure  to  bump  against  the  sky.  Besides,  if  he  had 
wings  and  eyes  both,  he  would  get  his  eyes  burned  out 
by  flying  too  near  the  sun.  But  without  eyes,  he  could 
burrow  in  the  soft,  cool  earth  where  he  could  be  happy. 

Mouse  said  man  needed  eyes  so  he  could  see  what 
he  was  eating.  And  nobody  wanted  to  burrow  in  the 
damp  earth.  So  the  council  broke  up  in  a  quarrel. 

Then  every  animal  set  to  work  to  make  a  man  ac 
cording  to  his  own  ideas.  Each  one  took  a  lump  of 
earth  and  modelled  it  just  like  himself.  All  but  Coyote, 
for  Coyote  began  to  make  the  kind  of  man  he  had 
talked  of  in  the  council. 

It  was  late  when  the  animals  stopped  work  and  fell 
asleep.  All  but  Coyote,  for  Coyote  was  the  cunningest 
of  all  the  animals,  and  he  stayed  awake  until  he  had 
finished  his  model.  He  worked  hard  all  night.  When 
the  other  animals  were  fast  asleep  he  threw  water  on 
the  lumps  of  earth,  and  so  spoiled  the  models  of  the 
other  animals.  But  in  the  morning  he  finished  his 
own,  and  gave  it  life  long  before  the  others  could  fin 
ish  theirs.  Thus  man  was  made  by  Coyote. 

53 


MYTHS   AND   LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


THE  FIRST  MAN  AND  WOMAN 

Nishinam  (near  Bear  River,  Cat.) 

THE   first  man  created  by  Coyote  was  called 
Aikut.     His   wife   was    Yototowi.     But   the 
woman  grew  sick  and  died.  Aikut  dug  a  grave 
for  her  close  beside  his  camp  fire,  for  the  Nishinam  did 
not  burn  their  dead  then.    All  the  light  was  gone  from 
his  life.     He  wanted  to  die,  so  that  he  could  follow 
Yototowi,  and  he  fell  into  a  deep  sleep. 

There  was  a  rumbling  sound  and  the  spirit  of  Yoto 
towi  arose  from  the  earth  and  stood  beside  him.  He 
would  have  spoken  to  her,  but  she  forbade  him,  for 
when  an  Indian  speaks  to  a  ghost  he  dies.  Then  she 
turned  away  and  set  out  for  the  dance-house  of  ghosts. 
Aikut  followed  her.  Together  they  journeyed  through 
a  great,  dark  country,  until  they  came  to  a  river  which 
separated  them  from  the  Ghost-land.  Over  the  river 
there  was  a  bridge  of  but  one  small  rope,  so  small  that 
hardly  Spider  could  crawl  across  it.  Here  the  woman 
started  off  alone,  but  when  Aikut  stretched  out  his 
arms,  she  returned.  Then  she  started  again  over  the 
bridge  of  thread.  And  Aikut  spoke  to  her,  so  that  he 
died.  Thus  together  they  journeyed  to  the  Spirit-land. 

54 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


OLD  MAN  ABOVE  AND  THE  GRIZZLIES 

Shastika  (Cal.) 

ALONG  time  ago,  while  smoke  still  curled  from 
the  smoke  hole  of  the  tepee,  a  great  storm  arose. 
The  storm  shook  the  tepee.  Wind  blew  the 
smoke  down  the  smoke  hole.  Old  Man  Above  said  to 
Little  Daughter:  "  Climb  up  to  the  smoke  hole.  Tell 
Wind  to  be  quiet.  Stick  your  arm  out  of  the  smoke 
hole  before  you  tell  him."  Little  Daughter  climbed 
up  to  the  smoke  hole  and  put  out  her  arm.  But  Little 
Daughter  put  out  her  head  also.  She  wanted  to  see 
the  world.  Little  Daughter  wanted  to  see  the  rivers 
and  trees,  and  the  white  foam  on  the  Bitter  Waters. 
Wind  caught  Little  Daughter  by  the  hair.  Wind 
pulled  her  out  of  the  smoke  hole  and  blew  her  down 
the  mountain.  Wind  blew  Little  Daughter  over  the 
smooth  ice  and  the  great  forests,  down  to  the  land  of 
the  Grizzlies.  Wind  tangled  her  hair  and  then  left 
her  cold  and  shivering  near  the  tepees  of  the  Grizzlies. 
Soon  Grizzly  came  home.  In  those  days  Grizzly 
walked  on  two  feet,  and  carried  a  big  stick.  Grizzly 
could  talk  as  people  do.  Grizzly  laid  down  the  young 

55 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

elk  he  had  killed  and  picked  up  Little  Daughter.  He 
took  Little  Daughter  to  his  tepee.  Then  Mother 
Grizzly  warmed  her  by  the  fire.  Mother  Grizzly  gave 
her  food  to  eat. 

Soon  Little  Daughter  married  the  son  of  Grizzly. 
Their  children  were  not  Grizzlies.  They  were  men. 
So  the  Grizzlies  built  a  tepee  for  Little  Daughter  and 
her  children.  White  men  call  the  tepee  Little  Shasta. 

At  last  Mother  Grizzly  sent  a  son  to  Old  Man 
Above.  Mother  Grizzly  knew  that  Little  Daughter 
was  the  child  of  Old  Man  Above,  but  she  was  afraid. 
She  said:  "  Tell  Old  Man  Above  that  Little  Daughter 
is  alive." 

Old  Man  Above  climbed  out  of  the  smoke  hole.  He 
ran  down  the  mountain  side  to  the  land  of  the  Grizzlies. 
Old  Man  Above  ran  very  quickly.  Wherever  he  set 
his  foot  the  snow  melted.  The  snow  melted  very 
quickly  and  made  streams  of  water.  Now  Grizzlies 
stood  in  line  to  welcome  Old  Man  Above.  They  stood 
on  two  feet  and  carried  clubs.  Then  Old  Man  Above 
saw  his  daughter  and  her  children.  He  saw  the  new 
race  of  men.  Then  Old  Man  Above  became  very 
angry.  He  said  to  Grizzlies : 

"  Never  speak  again.  Be  silent.  Neither  shall  ye 
stand  upright.  Ye  shall  use  your  hands  as  feet.  Ye 
shall  look  downward." 

56 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

Then  Old  Man  Above  put  out  the  fire  in  the  tepee. 
Smoke  no  longer  curls  from  the  smoke  hole.  He 
fastened  the  door  of  the  tepee.  The  new  race  of  men 
he  drove  out.  Then  Old  Man  Above  took  Little 
Daughter  back  to  his  tepee. 

That  is  why  grizzlies  walk  on  four  feet  and  look 
downward.  Only  when  fighting  they  stand  on  two  feet 
and  use  their  fists  like  men. 


57 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 


THE  CREATION  OF  MAN-KIND  AND 
THE  FLOOD 

Pima  (Arizona) 

AFTER  the  world  was  ready,  Earth  Doctor  made 
all  kinds  of  animals  and  creeping  things. 
Then  he  made  images  of  clay,  and  told  them 
to  be  people.  After  a  while  there  were  so  many  peo 
ple  that  there  was  not  food  and  water  enough  for  all. 
They  were  never  sick  and  none  died.  At  last  there 
grew  to  be  so  many  they  were  obliged  to  eat  each  other. 
Then  Earth  Doctor,  because  he  could  not  give  them 
food  and  water  enough,  killed  them  all.  He  caught 
the  hook  of  his  staff  into  the  sky  and  pulled  it  down  so 
that  it  crushed  all  the  people  and  all  the  animals,  un 
til  there  was  nothing  living  on  the  earth.  Earth  Doc 
tor  made  a  hole  through  the  earth  with  his  stick,  and 
through  that  he  went,  coming  out  safe,  but  alone,  on 
the  other  side. 

He  called  upon  the  sun  and  moon  to  come  out  of 
the  wreck  of  the  world  and  sky,  and  they  did  so.  But 
there  was  no  sky  for  them  to  travel  through,  no  stars, 
and  no  Milky  Way.  So  Earth  Doctor  made  these  all 

58 


MYTHS   AND   LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

over  again.  Then  he  created  another  race  of  men  and 
animals. 

Then  Coyote  was  born.  Moon  was  his  mother. 
When  Coyote  was  large  and  strong  he  came  to  the  land 
where  the  Pima  Indians  lived. 

Then  Elder  Brother  was  born.  Earth  was  his 
mother,  and  Sky  his  father.  He  was  so  powerful  that 
he  spoke  roughly  to  Earth  Doctor,  who  trembled  be 
fore  him.  The  people  began  to  increase  in  numbers, 
just  as  they  had  done  before,  but  Elder  Brother  short 
ened  their  lives,  so  the  earth  did  not  become  so  crowded. 
But  Elder  Brother  did  not  like  the  people  created  by 
Earth  Doctor,  so  he  planned  to  destroy  them  again.  So 
Elder  Brother  planned  to  create  a  magic  baby.  .  .  . 

The  screams  of  the  baby  shook  the  earth.  They  could 
be  heard  for  a  great  distance.  Then  Earth  Doctor 
called  all  the  people  together,  and  told  them  there 
would  be  a  great  flood.  He  sang  a  magic  song  and 
then  bored  a  hole  through  the  flat  earth-plain  through 
to  the  other  side.  Some  of  the  people  went  into  the 
hole  to  escape  the  flood  that  was  coming,  but  not  very 
many  got  through.  Some  of  the  people  asked  Elder 
Brother  to  help  them,  but  he  did  not  answer.  Only 
Coyote  he  answered.  He  told  Coyote  to  find  a  big  log 
and  sit  on  it,  so  that  he  would  float  on  the  surface  of 
the  water  with  the  driftwood.  Elder  Brother  got  into 

59 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

a  big  olla  which  he  had  made,  and  closed  it  tight.  So 
he  rolled  along  on  the  ground  under  the  olla.  He  sang 
a  magic  song  as  he  climbed  into  his  olla. 

A  young  man  went  to  the  place  where  the  baby  was 
screaming.  Its  tears  were  a  great  torrent  which  cut 
gorges  in  the  earth  before  it.  The  water  was  rising  all 
over  the  earth.  He  bent  over  the  child  to  pick  it  up, 
and  immediately  both  became  birds  and  flew  above  the 
flood.  Only  five  birds  were  saved  from  the  flood.  One 
was  a  flicker  and  one  a  vulture.  They  clung  by  their 
beaks  to  the  sky  to  keep  themselves  above  the  waters, 
but  the  tail  of  the  flicker  was  washed  by  the  waves  and 
that  is  why  it  is  stiff  to  this  day.  At  last  a  god  took 
pity  on  them  and  gave  them  power  to  make  "  nests  of 
down  "  from  their  own  breasts  on  which  they  floated 
on  the  water.  One  of  these  birds  was  the  vipisimal, 
and  if  any  one  injures  it  to  this  day,  the  flood  may  come 
again. 

Now  South  Doctor  called  his  people  to  him  and 
told  them  that  a  flood  was  coming.  He  sang  a  magic 
song  and  he  bored  a  hole  in  the  ground  with  a  cane  so 
that  people  might  go  through  to  the  other  side.  Others 
he  sent  to  Earth  Doctor,  but  Earth  Doctor  told  them 
they  were  too  late.  So  they  sent  the  people  to  the  top 
of  a  high  mountain  called  Crooked  Mountain.  South 

Doctor  sang  a  magic  song  and  traced  his  cane  around 

60 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

the  mountain,  but  that  held  back  the  waters  only  for 
a  short  time.  Four  times  he  sang  and  traced  a  line 
around  the  mountain,  yet  the  flood  rose  again  each  time. 
There  was  only  one  thing  more  to  do. 

He  held  his  magic  crystals  in  his  left  hand  and  sang 
a  song.  Then  he  struck  it  with  his  cane.  A  thunder 
peal  rang  through  the  mountains.  He  threw  his  staff 
into  the  water  and  it  cracked  with  a  loud  noise.  Turn 
ing,  he  saw  a  dog  near  him.  He  said,  "  How  high  is 
the  tide?"  The  dog  said,  "  It  is  very  near  the  top." 
He  looked  at  the  people  as  he  said  it.  When  they 
heard  his  voice  they  all  turned  to  stone.  They  stood 
just  as  they  were,  and  they  are  there  to  this  day  in 
groups:  some  of  the  men  talking,  some  of  the  women 
cooking,  and  some  crying. 

But  Earth  Doctor  escaped  by  enclosing  himself  in 
his  reed  staff,  which  floated  upon  the  water.  Elder 
Brother  rolled  along  in  his  olla  until  he  came  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Colorado  River.  The  olla  is  now  called 
Black  Mountain.  After  the  flood  he  came  out  and 
visited  all  parts  of  the  land. 

When  he  met  Coyote  and  Earth  Doctor,  each  claimed 
to  have  been  the  first  to  appear  after  the  flood,  but  at 
last  they  admitted  Elder  Brother  was  the  first,  so  he 
became  ruler  of  the  world. 


61 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


THE  BIRDS  AND  THE  FLOOD 

Pima   (Arizona) 

ONCE  upon   a  time,  when   all   the  earth   was 
flooded,   two  birds  were  hanging  above  the 
water.     They  were  clingirg  to  the  sky  with 
their  beaks.    The  larger  bird  was  gray  with  a  long  tail 
and  beak,  but  the  smaller  one  was  the  tiny  bird  that 
builds  a  nest  shaped  like  an  olla,  with  only  a  very  small 
opening  at  the  top.    The  birds  were  tired  and  fright 
ened.     The  larger  one  cried  and  cried,  but  the  little 
bird  held  on  tight  and  said,  "  Don't  cry.     I  'm  littler 
than  you  are,  but  I  'm  very  brave." 


62 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


LEGEND  OF  THE  FLOOD 

Ashochimi  (Coast  Indians,  Cal.) 

ENG  ago  there  was  a  great  flood  which  destroyed 
all  the  people  in  the  world.    Only  Coyote  was 
saved.     When  the  waters  subsided,  the  earth 
was  empty.    Coyote  thought  about  it  a  long  time. 

Then  Coyote  collected  a  great  bundle  of  tail  feath 
ers  from  owls,  hawks,  eagles,  and  buzzards.  He  jour 
neyed  over  the  whole  earth  and  carefully  located  the 
site  of  each  Indian  village.  Where  the  tepees  had 
stood,  he  planted  a  feather  in  the  ground  and  scraped 
up  the  dirt  around  it.  The  feathers  sprouted  like  trees, 
and  grew  up  and  branched.  At  last  they  turned  into 
men  and  women.  So  the  world  was  inhabited  with 
people  again. 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 


THE  GREAT  FLOOD 

Sia  (New  Mexico) 

FOR  a  long  time  after  the  fight,  the  people  were 
very  happy,  but  the  ninth  year  was  very  bad. 
The  whole  earth  was  filled  with  water.  The 
water  did  not  fall  in  rain,  but  came  in  as  rivers  between 
the  mesas.  It  continued  to  flow  in  from  all  sides  until 
the  people  and  the  animals  fled  to  the  mesa  tops.  The 
water  continued  to  rise  until  nearly  level  with  the  tops 
of  the  mesas.  Then  Sussistinnako  cried,  "  Where  shall 
my  people  go?  Where  is  the  road  to  the  north?  "  He 
looked  to  the  north.  "  Where  is  the  road  to  the  west? 
Where  is  the  road  to  the  east?  Where  is  the  road  to 
the  south?"  He  looked  in  each  direction.  He  said, 
"  I  see  the  waters  are  everywhere." 

All  of  the  medicine  men  sang  four  days  and  four 
nights,  but  still  the  waters  continued  to  rise. 

Then  Spider  placed  a  huge  reed  upon  the  top  of 
the  mesa.  He  said,  "  My  people  will  pass  up  through 
this  to  the  world  above." 

Utset  led  the  way,  carrying  a  sack  in  which  were 
many  of  the  Star  people.  The  medicine  men  followed, 

64 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

carrying  sacred  things  in  sacred  blankets  on  their  backs. 
Then  came  the  people,  and  the  animals,  and  the  snakes, 
and  birds.  The  turkey  was  far  behind  and  the  foam 
of  the  water  rose  and  reached  the  tip  ends  of  his  feath 
ers.  You  may  know  that  is  true  because  even  to  this 
day  they  bear  the  mark  of  the  waters. 

When  they  reached  the  top  of  the  great  reed,  the 
earth  which  formed  the  floor  of  the  world  above,  barred 
their  way.  Utset  called  to  Locust,  "  Man,  come  here." 
Locust  went  to  her.  She  said,  "  You  know  best  how 
to  pass  through  the  earth.  Go  and  make  a  door  for 


us." 


"  Very  well,  mother,"  said  Locust.  "  I  think  I  can 
make  a  way." 

He  began  working  with  his  feet  and  after  a  while 
he  passed  through  the  earthy  floor,  entering  the  upper 
world.  As  soon  as  he  saw  it,  he  said  to  Utset,  "  It  is 
good  above." 

Utset  called  Badger,  and  said,  "  Make  a  door  for  us. 
Sika,  the  Locust  has  made  one,  but  it  is  very  small." 

"  Very  well,  mother,  I  will,"  said  Badger. 

After  much  work  he  passed  into  the  world  above, 
and  said, 

"  Mother,  I  have  opened  the  way."  Badger  also 
said,  "  Father-mother,  the  world  above  is  good." 

Utset  then  called  Deer.  She  said,  "  You  go  through 

65 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

first.  If  you  can  get  your  head  through,  others  may 
pass." 

The  deer  returned  saying,  "  Father,  it  is  all  right. 
I  passed  without  trouble." 

Utset  called  Elk.  She  said,  "  You  pass  through. 
If  you  can  get  your  head  and  horns  through  the  door, 
all  may  pass." 

Elk  returned  saying,  "  Father,  it  is  good.  I  passed 
without  trouble." 

Then  Utset  told  the  buffalo  to  try,  and  he  returned 
saying,  "  Father-mother,  the  door  is  good.  I  passed 
without  trouble." 

Utset  called  the  scarab  beetle  and  gave  him  the  sack 
of  stars,  telling  him  to  pass  out  first  with  them.  Scarab 
did  not  know  what  the  sack  contained,  but  he  was  very 
small  and  grew  tired  carrying  it.  He  wondered  what 
could  be  in  the  sack.  After  entering  the  new  world 
he  was  so  tired  he  laid  down  the  sack  and  peeped  into 
it.  He  cut  only  a  tiny  hole,  but  at  once  the  Star  People 
flew  out  and  filled  the  heavens  everywhere. 

Then  Utset  and  all  the  people  came,  and  after 
Turkey  passed,  the  door  was  closed  with  a  great  rock 
so  that  the  waters  from  below  could  not  follow  them. 

Then  Utset  looked  for  the  sack  with  the  Star  People. 
She  found  it  nearly  empty  and  could  not  tell  where  the 

stars  had  gone.     The  little  beetle  sat  by,  very  much 

66 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

frightened  and  very  sad.  But  Utset  was  angry  and 
said,  "  You  are  bad  and  disobedient.  From  this  time 
forth,  you  shall  be  blind."  That  is  the  reason  the 
scarabaeus  has  no  eyes,  so  the  old  ones  say. 

But  the  little  fellow  had  saved  a  few  of  the  stars  by 
grasping  the  sack  and  holding  it  fast.  Utset  placed 
these  in  the  heavens.  In  one  group  she  placed  seven 
—  the  great  bear.  In  another,  three.  In  another  group 
she  placed  the  Pleiades,  and  threw  the  others  far  off 
into  the  sky. 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


THE  FLOOD  AND  THE  THEFT  OF  FIRE 
Tolowa  (Del  Norte  Co.,  Cal.) 

ALONG  time  ago  there  came  a  great  rain.     It 
lasted  a  long  time  and  the  water  kept  rising 
till  all  the  valleys  were  submerged,  and  the 
Indian  tribes  fled  to  the  high  lands.     But  the  water 
rose,  and  though  the  Indians  fled  to  the  highest  point, 
all  were  swept  away  and  drowned  —  all  but  one  man 
and  one  woman.    They  reached  the  very  highest  peak 
and  were  saved.    These  two  Indians  ate  the  fish  from 
the  waters  around  them. 

Then  the  waters  subsided.  All  the  game  was  gone, 
and  all  the  animals.  But  the  children  of  these  two 
Indians,  when  they  died,  became  the  spirits  of  deer  and 
bear  and  insects,  and  so  the  animals  and  insects  came 
back  to  the  earth  again. 

The  Indians  had  no  fire.  The  flood  had  put  out 
all  the  fires  in  the  world.  They  looked  at  the  moon 
and  wished  they  could  secure  fire  from  it.  Then  the 
Spider  Indians  and  the  Snake  Indians  formed  a  plan 
to  steal  fire.  The  Spiders  wove  a  very  light  balloon, 

and  fastened  it  by  a  long  rope  to  the  earth.    Then  they 

68 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

climbed  into  the  balloon  and  started  for  the  moon. 
But  the  Indians  of  the  Moon  were  suspicious  of  the 
Earth  Indians.  The  Spiders  said,  "  We  came  to  gam 
ble."  The  Moon  Indians  were  much  pleased  and  all 
the  Spider  Indians  began  to  gamble  with  them.  They 
sat  by  the  fire. 

Then  the  Snake  Indians  sent  a  man  to  climb  up  the 
long  rope  from  the  earth  to  the  moon.  He  climbed 
the  rope,  and  darted  through  the  fire  before  the  Moon 
Indians  understood  what  he  had  done.  Then  he  slid 
down  the  rope  to  earth  again.  As  soon  as  he  touched 
the  earth  he  travelled  over  the  rocks,  the  trees,  and  the 
dry  sticks  lying  upon  the  ground,  giving  fire  to  each. 
Everything  he  touched  contained  fire.  So  the  world 
became  bright  again,  as  it  was  before  the  flood. 

When  the  Spider  Indians  came  down  to  earth  again, 
they  were  immediately  put  to  death,  for  the  tribes  were 
afraid  the  Moon  Indians  might  want  revenge. 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 


LEGEND  OF  THE  FLOOD  IN  SACRAMENTO 

VALLEY 

Maidu  (near  Sacramento  Valley,  Cal.) 

E>NG,  long  ago  the  Indians  living  in  Sacramento 
Valley  were  happy.  Suddenly  there  came  the 
swift  sound  of  rushing  waters,  and  the  valley 
became  like  Big  Waters,  which  no  man  can  measure. 
The  Indians  fled,  but  many  slept  beneath  the  waves. 
Also  the  frogs  and  the  salmon  pursued  them  and  they 
ate  many  Indians.  Only  two  who  fled  into  the 
foothills  escaped.  To  these  two,  Great  Man  gave 
many  children,  and  many  tribes  arose.  But  one  great 
chief  ruled  all  the  nation.  The  chief  went  out  upon  a 
wide  knoll  overlooking  Big  Waters,  and  he  knew  that 
the  plains  of  his  people  were  beneath  the  waves.  Nine 
sleeps  he  lay  on  the  knoll,  thinking  thoughts  of  these 
great  waters.  Nine  sleeps  he  lay  without  food,  and  his 
mind  was  thinking  always  of  one  thing:  How  did 
this  deep  water  cover  the  plains  of  the  world? 

At  the  end  of  nine  sleeps  he  was  changed.    He  was 
not  like  himself.    No  arrow  could  wound  him.    He  was 

like  Great  Man  for  no  Indian  could  slay  him.    Then 

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MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

he  spoke  to  Great  Man  and  commanded  him  to  banish 
the  waters  from  the  plains  of  his  ancestors.  Great 
Man  tore  a  hole  in  the  mountain  side,  so  that  the  wa 
ters  on  the  plains  flowed  into  Big  Waters.  Thus  the 
Sacramento  River  was  formed. 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 


THE  FABLE  OF  THE  ANIMALS 

Karok  (near  Klamath  River,  Cal.) 

A  GREAT  many  hundred  snows  ago,  Kareya,  sit 
ting  on  the  Sacred  Stool,  created  the  world. 
First,  he  made  the  fishes  in  the  Big  Water, 
then  the  animals  on  the  green  land,  and  last  of  all, 
Man!  But  at  first  the  animals  were  all  alike  in  power. 
No  one  knew  which  animals  should  be  food  for  others, 
and  which  should  be  food  for  man.  Then  Kareya  or 
dered  them  all  to  meet  in  one  place,  that  Man  might 
give  each  his  rank  and  his  power.  So  the  animals  all 
met  together  one  evening,  when  the  sun  was  set,  to 
wait  overnight  for  the  coming  of  Man  on  the  next 
morning.  Kareya  also  commanded  Man  to  make  bows 
and  arrows,  as  many  as  there  were  animals,  and  to 
give  the  longest  one  to  the  animal  which  was  to  have 
the  most  power,  and  the  shortest  to  the  one  which 
should  have  least  power.  So  he  did,  and  after  nine 
sleeps  his  work  was  ended,  and  the  bows  and  arrows 
which  he  had  made  were  very  many. 

Now  the  animals,  being  all  together,  went  to  sleep, 

so  they  might  be  ready  to  meet  Man  on  the  next  morn- 

72 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

ing.  But  Coyote  was  exceedingly  cunning  —  he  was 
cunning  above  all  the  beasts.  Coyote  wanted  the  long 
est  bow  and  the  greatest  power,  so  he  could  have  all 
the  other  animals  for  his  meat.  He  decided  to  stay 
awake  all  night,  so  that  he  would  be  first  to  meet  Man 
in  the  morning.  So  he  laughed  to  himself  and 
stretched  his  nose  out  on  his  paw  and  pretended  to 
sleep.  About  midnight  he  began  to  be  sleepy.  He 
had  to  walk  around  the  camp  and  scratch  his  eyes  to 
keep  them  open.  He  grew  more  sleepy,  so  that  he  had 
to  skip  and  jump  about  to  keep  awake.  But  he  made 
so  much  noise,  he  awakened  some  of  the  other  animals. 
When  the  morning  star  came  up,  he  was  too  sleepy  to 
keep  his  eyes  open  any  longer.  So  he  took  two  little 
sticks,  and  sharpened  them  at  the  ends,  and  propped 
open  his  eyelids.  Then  he  felt  safe.  He  watched  the 
morning  star,  with  his  nose  stretched  along  his  paws, 
and  fell  asleep.  The  sharp  sticks  pinned  his  eyelids 
fast  together. 

The  morning  star  rose  rapidly  into  the  sky.  The 
birds  began  to  sing.  The  animals  woke  up  and 
stretched  themselves,  but  still  Coyote  lay  fast  asleep. 
When  the  sun  rose,  the  animals  went  to  meet  Man.  He 
gave  the  longest  bow  to  Cougar,  so  he  had  greatest 
power;  the  second  longest  he  gave  to  Bear;  others  he 
gave  to  the  other  animals,  giving  all  but  the  last  to 

73 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

Frog.  But  the  shortest  one  was  left.  Man  cried  out, 
"What  animal  have  I  missed?"  Then  the  animals 
began  to  look  about  and  found  Coyote  fast  asleep,  with 
his  eyelids  pinned  together.  All  the  animals  began 
to  laugh,  and  they  jumped  upon  Coyote  and  danced 
upon  him.  Then  they  led  him  to  Man,  still  blinded, 
and  Man  pulled  out  the  sharp  sticks  and  gave  him  the 
shortest  bow  of  all.  It  would  hardly  shoot  an  arrow 
farther  than  a  foot.  All  the  animals  laughed. 

But  Man  took  pity  on  Coyote,  because  he  was  now 
weaker  even  than  Frog.  So  at  his  request,  Kareya 
gave  him  cunning,  ten  times  more  than  before,  so  that 
he  was  cunning  above  all  the  animals  of  the  wood. 
Therefore  Coyote  was  friendly  to  Man  and  his  chil 
dren,  and  did  many  things  for  them. 


74 


Putnam  &  Valentine 


SAN  Luis  REY  MISSION 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


COYOTE  AND  SUN 
Pal  Ute  (near  Kern  River,  Cal.) 

ALONG  time  ago,  Coyote  wanted  to  go  to  the 
sun.  He  asked  Pokoh,  Old  Man,  to  show  him 
the  trail.  Coyote  went  straight  out  on  this 
trail  and  he  travelled  it  all  day.  But  Sun  went  round 
so  that  Coyote  came  back  at  night  to  the  place  from 
which  he  started  in  the  morning. 

The  next  morning,  Coyote  asked  Pokoh  to  show  him 
the  trail.  Pokoh  showed  him,  and  Coyote  travelled  all 
day  and  came  back  at  night  to  the  same  place  again. 

But  the  third  day,  Coyote  started  early  and  went  out 
on  the  trail  to  the  edge  of  the  world  and  sat  down  on 
the  hole  where  the  sun  came  up.  While  waiting  for 
the  sun  he  pointed  with  his  bow  and  arrow  at  different 
places  and  pretended  to  shoot.  He  also  pretended  not 
to  see  the  sun.  When  Sun  came  up,  he  told  Coyote  to 
get  out  of  his  way.  Coyote  told  him  to  go  around;  that 
it  was  his  trail.  But  Sun  came  up  under  him  and  he  had 
to  hitch  forward  a  little.  After  Sun  came  up  a  little 
farther,  it  began  to  get  hot  on  Coyote's  shoulder,  so 
he  spit  on  his  paw  and  rubbed  his  shoulder.  Then  he 

75 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

wanted  to  ride  up  with  the  sun.  Sun  said,  "  Oh,  no  " ; 
but  Coyote  insisted.  So  Coyote  climbed  up  on  Sun, 
and  Sun  started  up  the  trail  in  the  sky.  The  trail  was 
marked  off  into  steps  like  a  ladder.  As  Sun  went  up 
he  counted  "  one,  two,  three,"  and  so  on.  By  and  by 
Coyote  became  very  thirsty,  and  he  asked  Sun  for  a 
drink  of  water.  Sun  gave  him  an  acorn-cup  full. 
Coyote  asked  him  why  he  had  no  more.  About  noon 
time,  Coyote  became  very  impatient.  It  was  very  hot. 
Sun  told  him  to  shut  his  eyes.  Coyote  shut  them,  but 
opened  them  again.  He  kept  opening  and  shutting 
them  all  the  afternoon.  At  night,  when  Sun  came 
down,  Coyote  took  hold  of  a  tree.  Then  he  clambered 
off  Sun  and  climbed  down  to  the  earth. 


76 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 


THE  COURSE  OF  THE  SUN 

Sia  (New  Mexico) 

SUSSISTINNAKO,  the  spider,  said  to  the  sun, 
"  My  son,  you  will  ascend  and  pass  over  the 
world  above.  You  will  go  from  north  to  south. 
Return  and  tell  me  what  you  think  of  it." 

The  sun  said,  on  his  return,  "  Mother,  I  did  as  you 
bade  me,  and  I  did  not  like  the  road." 

Spider  told  him  to  ascend  and  pass  over  the  world 
from  west  to  the  east.  On  his  return,  the  sun  said, 

"  It  may  be  good  for  some,  mother,  but  I  did  not 
like  it." 

Spider  said,  "  You  will  again  ascend  and  pass  over 
the  straight  road  from  the  east  to  the  west.  Return 
and  tell  me  what  you  think  of  it." 

That  night  the  sun  said,  "  I  am  much  contented.  I 
like  that  road  much." 

Sussistinnako  said,  "  My  son,  you  will  ascend  each 
day  and  pass  over  the  world  from  cast  to  west." 

Upon  each  day's  journey  the  sun  stops  midway  from 
the  east  to  the  centre  of  the  world  to  eat  his  breakfast. 

77 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

In  the  centre  he  stops  to  eat  his  dinner.  Halfway  from 
the  centre  to  the  west  he  stops  to  eat  his  supper.  He 
never  fails  to  eat  these  three  meals  each  day,  and  al 
ways  stops  at  the  same  points. 

The  sun  wears  a  shirt  of  dressed  deerskin,  with  leg 
gings  of  the  same  reaching  to  his  thighs.  The  shirt 
and  leggings  are  fringed.  His  moccasins  are  also  of 
deerskin  and  embroidered  in  yellow,  red,  and  turkis 
beads.  He  wears  a  kilt  of  deerskin,  having  a  snake 
painted  upon  it.  He  carries  a  bow  and  arrows,  the 
quiver  being  of  cougar  skin,  hanging  over  his  shoulder, 
and  he  holds  his  bow  in  his  left  hand  and  an  arrow  in 
his  right.  He  always  wears  the  mask  which  protects 
him  from  the  sight  of  the  people  of  Ha-arts. 

At  the  top  of  the  mask  is  an  eagle  plume  with  par 
rot  plumes ;  an  eagle  plume  is  at  each  side,  and  one  at 
the  bottom  of  the  mask.  The  hair  around  the  head  and 
face  is  red  like  fire,  and  when  it  moves  and  shakes 
people  cannot  look  closely  at  the  mask.  It  is  not  in 
tended  that  they  should  observe  closely,  else  they  would 
know  that  instead  of  seeing  the  sun  they  see  only  his 
mask. 

The  moon  came  to  the  upper  world  with  the  sun  and 
he  also  wears  a  mask. 

Each  night  the  sun  passes  by  the  house  of  Sussistin- 


MYTHS   AND   LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

nako,  the  spider,  who  asks  him,  "  How  are  my  children 
above?  How  many  have  died  to-day?  How  many 
have  been  born  to-day?  "  The  sun  lingers  only  long 
enough  to  answer  his  questions.  He  then  passes  on  to 
his  house  in  the  east 


79 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 


THE  FOXES  AND  THE  SUN 

Yurok  (near  Klamath  River,  Cal.} 

ONCE  upon  a  time,  the  Foxes  were  angry  with 
Sun.  They  held  a  council  about  the  matter. 
Then  twelve  Foxes  were  selected  —  twelve  of 
the  bravest  to  catch  Sun  and  tie  him  down.  They  made 
ropes  of  sinew;  then  the  twelve  watched  until  the  Sun, 
as  he  followed  the  downward  trail  in  the  sky,  touched 
the  top  of  a  certain  hill.  Then  the  Foxes  caught  Sun, 
and  tied  him  fast  to  the  hill.  But  the  Indians  saw 
them,  and  they  killed  the  Foxes  with  arrows.  Then 
they  cut  the  sinews.  But  the  Sun  had  burned  a  great 
hole  in  the  ground.  The  Indians  know  the  story  is 
true,  because  they  can  see  the  hole  which  Sun  burned. 


80 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 


THE  THEFT  OF  FIRE 

Karok  (near  Klamath  River,  Cal.) 

THERE  was  no  fire  on  earth  and  the  Karoks 
were  cold  and  miserable.  Far  away  to  the 
east,  hidden  in  a  treasure  box,  was  fire  which 
Kareya  had  made  and  given  to  two  old  hags,  lest  the 
Karoks  should  steal  it.  So  Coyote  decided  to  steal  fire 
for  the  Indians. 

Coyote  called  a  great  council  of  the  animals.  After 
the  council  he  stationed  a  line  from  the  land  of  the 
Karoks  to  the  distant  land  where  the  fire  was  kept. 
Lion  was  nearest  the  Fire  Land,  and  Frog  was  nearest 
the  Karok  land.  Lion  was  strongest  and  Frog  was 
weakest,  and  the  other  animals  took  their  places,  ac 
cording  to  the  power  given  them  by  Man. 

Then  Coyote  took  an  Indian  with  him  and  went  to 
the  hill  top,  but  he  hid  the  Indian  under  the  hill.  Coy 
ote  went  to  the  tepee  of  the  hags.  He  said,  "  Good- 
evening."  They  replied,  "  Good-evening." 

Coyote  said,  "  It  is  cold  out  here.  Can  you  let  me 
sit  by  the  fire?  "  So  they  let  him  sit  by  the  fire.  He 
was  only  a  coyote.  He  stretched  his  nose  out  along 

his  forepaws  and  pretended  to  go  to  sleep,  but  he  kept 

81 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

the  corner  of  one  eye  open  watching.  So  he  spent  all 
night  watching  and  thinking,  but  he  had  no  chance  to 
get  a  piece  of  the  fire. 

The  next  morning  Coyote  held  a  council  with  the 
Indian.  He  told  him  when  he,  Coyote,  was  within  the 
tepee,  to  attack  it.  Then  Coyote  went  back  to  the  fire. 
The  hags  let  him  in  again.  He  was  only  a  coyote. 
But  Coyote  stood  close  by  the  casket  of  fire.  The  In 
dian  made  a  dash  at  the  tepee.  The  hags  rushed  out 
after  him,  and  Coyote  seized  a  fire  brand  in  his  teeth 
and  flew  over  the  ground.  The  hags  saw  the  sparks 
flying  and  gave  chase.  But  Coyote  reached  Lion,  who 
ran  with  it  to  Grizzly  Bear.  Grizzly  Bear  ran  with  it 
to  Cinnamon  Bear;  he  ran  with  it  to  Wolf,  and  at  last 
the  fire  came  to  Ground-Squirrel.  Squirrel  took  the 
brand  and  ran  so  fast  that  his  tail  caught  fire.  He 
curled  it  up  over  his  back,  and  burned  the  black  spot 
in  his  shoulders.  You  can  see  it  even  to-day.  Squirrel 
came  to  Frog,  but  Frog  could  n't  run.  He  opened  his 
mouth  wide  and  swallowed  the  fire.  Then  he  jumped 
but  the  hags  caught  his  tail.  Frog  jumped  again,  but 
the  hags  kept  his  tail.  That  is  why  Frogs  have  no  tail, 
even  to  this  day.  Frog  swam  under  water,  and  came 
up  on  a  pile  of  driftwood.  He  spat  out  the  fire  into 
the  dry  wood,  and  that  is  why  there  is  fire  in  dry  wood 
even  to-day.  When  an  Indian  rubs  two  pieces  together, 

the  fire  comes  out. 

82 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


THE  THEFT  OF  FIRE 

Sia  (New  Mexico) 

ALONG,  long  time  ago,  the  people  became  tired 
of  feeding  on  grass,  like  deer  and  wild  animals, 
and  they  talked  together  how  fire  might  be 
found.  The  Ti-amoni  said,  "  Coyote  is  the  best  man 
to  steal  fire  from  the  world  below,"  so  he  sent  for 
Coyote. 

When  Coyote  came,  the  Ti-amoni  s^id,  "  The  peo 
ple  wish  for  fire.  We  are  tired  of  feeding  on  grass. 
You  must  go  to  the  world  below  and  bring  the  fire." 

Coyote  said,  "  It  is  well,  father.    I  will  go." 

So  Coyote  slipped  stealthily  to  the  house  of  Sussis- 
tinnako.  It  was  the  middle  of  the  night.  Snake,  who 
guarded  the  first  door,  was  asleep,  and  he  slipped 
quickly  and  quietly  by.  Cougar,  who  guarded  the  sec 
ond  door,  was  asleep,  and  Coyote  slipped  by.  Bear, 
who  guarded  the  third  door,  was  also  sleeping.  At  the 
fourth  door,  Coyote  found  the  guardian  of  the  fire 
asleep.  Slipping  through  into  the  room  of  Sussistin- 
nako  he  found  him  also  sleeping. 

Coyote  quickly  lighted  the  cedar  brand  which  was 

83 


MYTHS   AND   LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

attached  to  his  tail  and  hurried  out.  Spider  awoke, 
just  enough  to  know  some  one  was  leaving  the  room. 
"Who  is  there?"  he  cried.  Then  he  called,  "Some 
one  has  been  here."  But  before  he  could  waken  the 
sleeping  Bear  and  Cougar  and  Snake,  Coyote  had  al 
most  reached  the  upper  world. 


Courtesy  of  Smithsonian  Institution 

SIA  CEREMONIAL  VASE 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


THE  EARTH-HARDENING  AFTER  THE 
FLOOD 

Sia  (New  Mexico) 

AFTER  the  flood,  the  Sia  returned  to  Ha-arts,  the 
earth.  They  came  through  an  opening  in  the 
far  north.  After  they  had  remained  at  their 
first  village  a  year,  they  wished  to  pass  on,  but  the  earth 
was  very  moist  and  Utset  was  puzzled  how  to  harden 
it. 

Utset  called  Cougar.  She  said,  "  Have  you  any  med 
icine  to  harden  the  road  so  that  we  may  pass  over  it?  " 
Cougar  replied,  "  I  will  try,  mother."  But  after  go 
ing  a  short  distance  over  the  road,  he  sank  to  his  shoul 
ders  in  the  wet  earth.  He  returned  much  afraid  and 
told  Utset  that  he  could  go  no  farther. 

Then  she  sent  for  Bear.  She  said,  "  Have  you  any 
medicine  to  harden  the  road?"  Bear  started  out,  but 
he  sank  to  his  shoulders,  and  returned  saying,  "  I  can  do 
nothing." 

Then  Utset  called  Badger,  and  he  tried.  She  called 
Shrew,  and  he  failed.  She  called  Wolf,  and  he  failed. 

Then  Utset  returned  to  the  lower  world  and  asked 

85 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

Sussistinnako  what  she  could  do  to  harden  the  earth 
so  that  her  people  might  travel  over  it.  He  asked, 
"  Have  you  no  medicine  to  make  the  earth  firm?  Have 
you  asked  Cougar  and  Wolf,  Bear  and  Badger  and 
Wolf  to  use  their  medicines  to  harden  the  earth?  " 

Utset  said,  "  I  have  tried  all  these." 

Then  Sussistinnako  said,  "  Others  will  understand." 
He  told  her  to  have  a  woman  of  the  Kapina  (spider) 
clan  try  to  harden  the  earth. 

When  the  woman  arrived,  Utset  said,  "  My  mother, 
Sussistinnako  tells  me  the  Kapina  society  understand 
how  to  harden  the  earth." 

The  woman  said,  "  I  do  not  know  how  to  make  the 
earth  hard." 

Three  times  Utset  asked  the  woman  about  hardening 
the  earth,  and  three  times  the  woman  said,  "  I  do  not 
know."  The  fourth  time  the  woman  said,  "  Well,  I 
guess  I  know.  I  will  try." 

So  she  called  together  the  members  of  the  Spider 
society,  the  Kapina,  and  said, 

"  Our  mother,  Sussistinnako,  bids  us  work  for  her 
and  harden  the  earth  so  that  the  people  may  pass  over 
it."  The  spider  woman  first  made  a  road  of  fine  cot 
ton  which  she  produced  from  her  own  body,  and  sus 
pended  it  a  few  feet  above  the  earth.  Then  she  told 


86 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

the  people  they  could  travel  on  that.  But  the  people 
were  afraid  to  trust  themselves  to  such  a  frail  road. 

Then  Utset  said,  "  I  wish  a  man  and  not  a  woman 
of  the  Spider  society  to  work  for  me." 

Then  he  came.  He  threw  out  a  charm  of  wood,  lat 
ticed  so  it  could  be  expanded  or  contracted.  When  it 
was  extended  it  reached  to  the  middle  of  the  earth.  He 
threw  it  to  the  south,  to  the  east,  and  to  the  west;  then 
he  threw  it  toward  the  people  in  the  north. 

So  the  earth  was  made  firm  that  the  people  might 
travel  upon  it. 

Soon  after  Utset  said,  "  I  will  soon  leave  you.  I  will, 
return  to  the  home  from  which  I  came." 

Then  she  selected  a  man  of  the  Corn  clan.  She  said 
to  him,  "  You  will  be  known  as  Ti-amoni  (arch-ruler) . 
You  will  be  to  my  people  as  myself.  You  will  pass 
with  them  over  the  straight  road.  I  give  to  you  all 
my  wisdom,  my  thoughts,  my  heart,  and  all.  I  fill 
your  mind  with  my  mind." 

He  replied:  "  It  is  well,  mother.  I  will  do  as  you 
say." 


MYTHS    AND   LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


THE  ORIGINS  OF  THE  TOTEMS  AND  OF 

NAMES 

Zunl  (New  Mexico] 

NOW  the  Twain  Beloved  and  the  priest-fathers 
gathered  in  council  for  the  naming  and  selec 
tion  of  man-groups  and  creature-kinds,  and 
things.  So  they  called  the  people  of  the  southern  space 
the  Children  of  Summer,  and  those  who  loved  the  sun 
most  became  the  Sun  people.  Others  who  loved  the 
water  became  the  Toad  people,  or  Turtle  people,  or 
Frog  people.  Others  loved  the  seeds  of  the  earth  and 
became  the  Seed  people,  or  the  people  of  the  First- 
growing  grass,  or  of  the  Tobacco.  Those  who  loved 
warmth  were  the  Fire  or  Badger  people.  According 
to  their  natures  they  chose  their  totems. 

And  so  also  did  the  People  of  Winter,  or  the  People 
of  the  North.  Some  were  known  as  the  Bear  people, 
or  the  Coyote  people,  or  Deer  people;  others  as  the 
Crane  people,  Turkey  people,  or  Grouse  people.  So 
the  Badger  people  dwelt  in  a  warm  place,  even  as  the 
badgers  on  the  sunny  side  of  hills  burrow,  finding  a 

dwelling  amongst  the  dry  roots  whence  is  fire. 

88 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 


TRADITIONS  OF  WANDERINGS 

Ho  pi  (Arizona) 

A^TER  the  Hopi  had  been  taught  to  build  stone 
houses,  they  took  separate  ways.  My  people 
were  the  Snake  people.  They  lived  in  snake 
skins,  each  family  occupying  a  separate  snake  skin  bag. 
All  were  hung  on  the  end  of  a  rainbow  which  swung 
around  until  the  end  touched  Navajo  Mountain.  Then 
the  bags  dropped  from  it.  Wherever  a  bag  dropped, 
there  was  their  house.  After  they  arranged  their  bags 
they  came  out  from  them  as  men  and  women,  and  they 
then  built  a  stone  house  which  had  five  sides.  Then 
a  brilliant  star  arose  in  the  southeast.  It  would  shine 
for  a  while  and  disappear. 

The  old  men  said,  "  Beneath  that  star  there  must  be 
people."  They  decided  to  travel  to  it.  They  cut  a 
staff  and  set  it  in  the  ground  and  watched  until  the 
star  reached  its  top.  Then  they  started  and  travelled 
as  long  as  the  star  shone.  When  it  disappeared  they 
halted.  But  the  star  did  not  shine  every  night.  Some 
times  many  years  passed  before  it  appeared  again. 

89 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

When  this  occurred,  the  people  built  houses  during 
their  halt.  They  built  round  houses  and  square  houses, 
and  all  the  ruins  between  here  and  Navajo  Mountain 
mark  the  places  where  our  people  lived.  They  waited 
until  the  star  came  to  the  top  of  the  staff  again,  but 
when  they  moved  on,  many  people  remained  in  those 
houses. 

When  our  people  reached  Waipho  (a  spring  a  few 
miles  from  Walpi)  the  star  vanished.  It  has  never 
been  seen  since.  They  built  a  house  there,  but  Mas- 
auwu,  the  God  of  the  Face  of  the  Earth,  came  and 
compelled  the  people  to  move  about  halfway  between 
the  East  Mesa  and  the  Middle  Mesa  and  there  they 
stayed  many  plantings.  One  time  when  the  old  men 
were  assembled,  the  god  came  among  them,  looking 
like  a  horrible  skeleton  and  rattling  his  bones.  But 
he  could  not  frighten  them.  So  he  said,  "  I  have  lost 
my  wager.  All  that  I  have  is  yours.  Ask  for  anything 
you  want  and  I  will  give  it  to  you." 

At  that  time,  our  people's  house  was  beside  the  wa 
ter  course.  The  god  said,  "  Why  do  you  sit  there  in 
the  mud?  Go  up  yonder  where  it  is  dry." 

So  they  went  across  to  the  west  side  of  the  mesa  near 
the  point  and  built  a  house  and  lived  there. 

Again  when  the  old  men  assembled  two  demons 


90 


Putnam  &  Valentine 

FROM  THE  BELL-TOWER  OF  SAN  XAVIER  MISSION,  TUCSON,  ARIZONA 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

came  among  them,  but  the  old  men  took  the  great  Baho 
and  chased  them  away. 

Other  Hopi  (Hopituh)  came  into  this  country  from 
time  to  time  and  old  people  said,  "  Build  here,"  or 
"  Build  there,"  and  portioned  the  land  among  .the 
newcomers. 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 


THE  MIGRATION  OF  THE  WATER  PEOPLE 

Walpi  {Arizona) 

IN  the  long  ago,  the  Snake,  Horn,  and  Eagle  people 
lived  here  (in  Tusayan)  but  their  corn  grew  only 
a  span  high  and  when  they  sang  for  rain,  the  Cloud 
god  sent  only  a  thin  mist.  My  people  lived  then  in 
the  distant  Pa-lat  Kwa-bi  in  the  South.  There  was  a 
very  bad  old  man  there.  When  he  met  any  one  he 
would  spit  in  their  faces.  .  .  .  He  did  all  manner 
of  evil.  Baholihonga  got  angry  at  this  and  turned  the 
world  upside  down.  Water  spouted  up  through  the 
kivas  and  through  the  fire  places  in  the  houses.  The 
earth  was  rent  in  great  chasms,  and  water  covered  ev 
erything  except  one  narrow  ridge  of  mud.  Across  this 
the  Serpent-god  told  all  the  people  to  travel.  As  they 
journeyed  across,  the  feet  of  the  bad  slipped  and  they 
fell  into  the  dark  water.  The  good  people,  after  many 
days,  reached  dry  land. 

While  the  water  was  rising  around  the  village,  the 
old  people  got  on  top  of  the  houses.  They  thought 
they  could  not  struggle  across  with  the  younger  people. 

But  Baholihonga  clothed  them  with  the  skins  of  tur- 

92 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

keys.  They  spread  their  wings  out  and  floated  in  the 
air  just  above  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  in  this  way 
they  got  across.  There  were  saved  of  us,  the  Water 
people,  the  Corn  people,  the  Lizard,  Horned-toad,  and 
Sand  peoples,  two  families  of  Rabbit,  and  the  Tobacco 
people.  The  turkey  tail  dragged  in  the  water.  That 
is  why  there  is  white  on  the  turkey's  tail  now.  This 
is  also  the  reason  why  old  people  use  turkey-feathers 
at  the  religious  ceremonies. 


93 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 


COYOTE  AND  THE  MESQUITE  BEANS 

Pima  (Arizona] 

AFTER  the  waters  of  the  flood  had  gone  down, 
Elder  Brother  said  to  Coyote,  "  Do  not  touch 
that  black  bug;  and  do  not  eat  the  mesquite 
beans.     It  is  dangerous  to  harm  anything  that  came 
safe  through  the  flood." 

So  Coyote  went  on,  but  presently  he  came  to  the 
black  bug.  He  stopped  and  ate  it  up.  Then  he  went 
on  to  the  mesquite  beans.  He  stopped  and  looked  at 
them  a  while,  and  then  said,  "  I  will  just  taste  one  and 
that  will  be  all."  But  he  stood  there  and  ate  and  ate 
until  he  had  eaten  them  all  up.  And  the  bug  and  the 
beans  swelled  up  in  his  stomach  and  killed  him. 


94 


MYTHS   AND   LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  SIERRA  NEVADAS  AND 
COAST  RANGE 

i 

Yakuts  (near  Fresno,  Cat.) 

ONCE  there  was  a  time  when  there  was  nothing 
in  the  world  but  water.  About  the  place  where 
Tulare  Lake  is  now,  there  was  a  pole  standing 
far  up  out  of  the  water,  and  on  this  pole  perched  Hawk 
and  Crow.  First  Hawk  would  sit  on  the  pole  a  while, 
then  Crow  would  knock  him  off  and  sit  on  it  himself. 
Thus  they  sat  on  the  top  of  the  pole  above  the  water 
for  many  ages.  At  last  they  created  the  birds  which 
prey  on  fish.  They  created  Kingfisher,  Eagle,  Pelican, 
and  others.  They  created  also  Duck.  Duck  was  very 
small  but  she  dived  to  the  bottom  of  the  water,  took 
a  beakful  of  mud,  and  then  died  in  coming  to  the  top 
of  the  water.  Duck  lay  dead  floating  on  the  water. 
Then  Hawk  and  Crow  took  the  mud  from  Duck's  beak, 
and  began  making  the  mountains. 

They  began  at  the  place  now  known  as  Ta-hi-cha-pa 
Pass,  and  Hawk  made  the  east  range.  Crow  made  the 
west  one.  They  pushed  the  mud  down  hard  into  the 
water  and  then  piled  it  high.  They  worked  toward 

95 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

the  north.  At  last  Hawk  and  Crow  met  at  Mount 
Shasta.  Then  their  work  was  done.  But  when  they 
looked  at  their  mountains,  Crow's  range  was  much 
larger  than  Hawk's. 

Hawk  said  to  Crow,  "  How  did  this  happen,  you 
rascal?  You  have  been  stealing  earth  from  my  bill. 
That  is  why  your  mountains  are  the  biggest."  Crow 
laughed. 

Then  Hawk  chewed  some  Indian  tobacco.  That 
made  him  wise.  At  once  he  took  hold  of  the  moun 
tains  and  turned  them  around  almost  in  a  circle.  He 
put  his  range  where  Crow's  had  been.  That  is  why 
the  Sierra  Nevada  Range  is  larger  than  the  Coast  Range. 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 


YOSEMITE  VALLEY 

(Explanatory}  l 

MR.  STEPHEN  POWERS  claims  that  there 
is  no  such  word  in  the  Miwok  language  as 
Yosemite. 

"  The  valley  has  always  been  known  to  them,  and  is 
to  this  day,  when  speaking  among  themselves,  as 
A-wa'-ni.  This,  it  is  true,  is  only  the  name  of  one  of 
the  ancient  villages  which  it  contained;  but  by  prom 
inence  it  gave  its  name  to  the  valley,  and  in  accordance 
with  Indian  usage  almost  everywhere,  to  the  inhabitants 
of  the  same.  The  word  Yosemite  is  simply  a  very 
beautiful  and  sonorous  corruption  of  the  word  for 
grizzly  bear.  On  the  Stanislaus  and  north  of  it,  the 
word  is  u-zu'-mai-ti;  at  Little  Gap,  o-so'-mai-ti;  in 
Yosemite  itself,  u-zu '-mai-ti ;  on  the  South  Fork  of  the 
Merced,  uh-zu'-mai-tuh.  .  .  . 

"In  the  following  list,  the  signification  of  the  name 
is  given  whenever  there  is  any  known  to  the  Indians: 

1  The  explanation  given  above  is  that  made  by  Mr.  Stephen 
Powers,  in  Vol.  3,  U.  S.  Geographical  and  Geological  Survey  of  the 
Rocky  Mountain  region,  Part  2,  Contributions  to  North  American 
Ethnology,  1877. 

97 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

"  Wa-kal'-la  (the  river),  Merced  River. 

"  Lung-u-tu-ku'-ya,  Ribbon  Fall. 

"  Po'-ho-no,  Po-ho'-no  (though  the  first  is  probably 
the  more  correct),  Bridal-Veil  Fall.  .  .  .  This 
word  is  said  to  signify  '  evil  wind.'  The  only  *  evil 
wind '  that  an  Indian  knows  of  is  a  whirlwind,  which 
is  poi-i'-cha  or  Kan'-u-ma. 

"  Tu-tok-a-nu'-la,  El  Capitan.  '  Measuring-worm 
stone.'  [Legend  is  given  elsewhere.] 

"  Ko-su'-ko,  Cathedral  Rock. 

"  Pu-si'-na,  and  Chuk'-ka  (the  squirrel  and  the  acorn- 
cache),  a  tall,  sharp  needle,  with  a  smaller  one  at  its 
base,  just  east  of  Cathedral  Rock.  .  .  .  The  sav 
ages  .  .  .  imagined  here  a  squirrel  nibbling  at  the 
base  of  an  acorn  granary. 

"  Loi'-a,  Sentinel  Rock. 

"  Sak'-ka-du-eh,  Sentinel  Dome. 

"ChoMok  (the  fall),  Yosemite  Fall.  This  is  the 
generic  word  for  l  fall.' 

"  Ma'-ta  (the  canon),  Indian  Canon.  A  generic 
word,  in  explaining  which  the  Indians  hold  up  both 
hands  to  denote  perpendicular  walls. 

"  Ham'-mo-ko  (usually  contracted  to  Ham'-moak), 
.  .  .  broken  debris  lying  at  the  foot  of  the  walls. 

"  U-zu'-mai-ti  La'-wa-tuh  (grizzly  bear  skin), 
Glacier  Rock  .  .  .  from  the  grayish,  grizzled  ap 
pearance  of  the  wall. 

98 


Putnam  <G  Valentine 


PO'-HO-NO  (BRIDAL  VEIL  FALLS) 


Putnam  <C-  Valentine 


CHOLOK,  "  THE  FALL 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

"  Choko-nip'-o-deh  (baby-basket),  Royal  Arches. 
This  .  .  .  canopy- rock  bears  no  little  resemblance 
to  an  Indian  baby-basket.  Another  form  is  cho-ko'-ni, 
.  .  .  literally  .  .  .  '  dog-house/ 

"  Pai-wai'-ak  (white  water?),  Vernal  Fall. 

"  Yo-wai-yi,  Nevada  Fall.  In  this  word  is  detected 
the  root  of  Awaia,  *  a  lake '  or  body  of  water. 

"  Tis-se'-yak,  South  Dome.    [See  legend  elsewhere.] 

"  To-ko'-ye,  North  Dome,  husband  of  Tisseyak. 
[See  legend  elsewhere.] 

"  Shun'-ta,  Hun'-ta  (the  eye),  Watching  Eye. 

"  A-wai'-a  (a  lake),  Mirror  Lake. 

"  Sa-wah'  (a  gap),  a  name  occurring  frequently. 

"  Wa-ha'-ka,  a  village  which  stood  at  the  base  of 
Three  Brothers;  also  the  rock  itself.  This  was  the 
westernmost  village  in  the  valley. 

"  There  were  nine  villages  in  Yosemite  Valley  and 
V  .  .  formerly  others  extending  as  far  down  as  the 
Bridal  Veil  Fall,  which  were  destroyed  in  wars  that 
occurred  before  the  whites  came." 


99 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 


LEGEND  OF  TU-TOK-A-NU'-LA 
(EL  CAPITAN) 

Y os emit e  Valley 

THERE  were  once  two  little  boys  living  in  the 
valley  who  went  down  to  the  river  to  swim. 
After  paddling  and  splashing  about  to  their 
hearts'  content,  they  went  on  shore  and  crept  up  on  a 
huge  boulder  which  stood  beside  the  water.  They  lay 
down  in  the  warm  sunshine  to  dry  themselves,  but  fell 
asleep.  They  slept  so  soundly  that  they  knew  nothing, 
though  the  great  boulder  grew  day  by  day,  and  rose 
night  by  night,  until  it  lifted  them  up  beyond  the  sight 
of  their  tribe,  who  looked  for  them  everywhere. 

The  rock  grew  until  the  boys  were  lifted  high  into 
the  heaven,  even  far  up  above  the  blue  sky,  until  they 
scraped  their  faces  against  the  moon.  And  still,  year 
after  year,  among  the  clouds  they  slept. 

Then  there  was  held  a  great  council  of  all  the  ani 
mals  to  bring  the  boys  down  from  the  top  of  the  great 
rock.  Every  animal  leaped  as  high  as  he  could  up  the 
face  of  the  rocky  wall.  Mouse  could  only  jump  as 
high  as  one's  hand;  Rat,  twice  as  high.  Then  Raccoon 


TOO 


Putnam  &  Valentine 

"  THEN  CAME  THE  TINY  MEASURING  WORM  AND  BEGAN  TO  CREEP  UP  THE 

ROCK"  (£L  CAPITAN) 


Putnam  &  Valentine 


CATHEDRAL  SPIRES 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

tried;  he  could  jump  a  little  farther.  One  after  an 
other  of  the  animals  tried,  and  Grizzly  Bear  made  a 
great  leap  far  up  the  wall,  but  fell  back.  Last  of  all 
Lion  tried,  and  he  jumped  farther  than  any  other  ani 
mal,  but  fell  down  upon  his  back.  Then  came  tiny 
Measuring- Worm,  and  began  to  creep  up  the  rock. 
Soon  he  reached  as  high  as  Raccoon  had  jumped,  then 
as  high  as  Bear,  then  as  high  as  Lion's  leap,  and  by  and 
by  he  was  out  of  sight,  climbing  up  the  face  of  the  rock. 
For  one  whole  snow,  Measuring-Worm  climbed  the 
rock,  and  at  last  he  reached  the  top.  Then  he  wakened 
the  boys,  and  came  down  the  same  way  he  went  up,  and 
brought  them  down  safely  to  the  ground.  Therefore 
the  rock  is  called  Tutokanula,  the  measuring  worm. 
But  white  men  call  it  El  Capitan. 


101 


;ra#$:{AND:  LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 


LEGEND  OF  TIS-SE'-YAK 
(SOUTH  DOME  AND  NORTH  DOME) 

Y os emit e  Valley 

TISSEYAK  and  her  husband  journeyed  from  a 
country  very  far  off,  and  entered  the  valley  of 
the  Yosemite  foot-sore  from  travel.  She  bore 
a  great  heavy  conical  basket,  strapped  across  her  head. 
Tisseyak  came  first.  Her  husband  followed  with  a 
rude  staff  and  a  light  roll  of  skins  on  his  back.  They 
were  thirsty  after  their  long  journey  across  the  moun 
tains.  They  hurried  forward  to  drink  of  the  waters, 
and  the  woman  was  still  in  advance  when  she  reached 
Lake  Awaia.  Then  she  dipped  up  the  water  in  her 
basket  and  drank  of  it.  She  drank  up  all  the  water. 
The  lake  was  dry  before  her  husband  reached  it.  And 
because  the  woman  drank  all  the  water,  there  came  a 
drought.  The  earth  dried  up.  There  was  no  grass, 
nor  any  green  thing. 

But  the  man  was  angry  because  he  had  no  water  to 
drink.  He  beat  the  woman  with  his  staff  and  she  fled, 
but  he  followed  and  beat  her  even  more.  Then  the 
woman  wept.  In  her  anger  she  turned  and  flung  her 


102 


Putnam  &  Valentine 

YOSEMITE  VALLEY.     VERNAL  FALLS  AND  NEVADA  FALLS  FROM 
GLACIER  POINT 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

basket  at  the  man.  And  even  then  they  were  changed 
into  stone.  The  woman's  basket  lies  upturned  beside 
the  man.  The  woman's  face  is  tear-stained,  with  long 
dark  lines  trailing  down. 

South  Dome  is  the  woman  and  North  Dome  is  the 
husband.  The  Indian  woman  cuts  her  hair  straight 
across  the  forehead,  and  allows  the  sides  to  drop  along 
her  cheeks,  forming  a  square  face. 


103 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 


HISTORIC  TRADITION  OF  THE  UPPER 
TUOLUMNE 

Yosemite  Valley 

(As  given  by  Mr.  Stephen  Powers,  1877.) 1 

THERE  is  a  lake-like  expansion  of  the  Upper 
Tuolumne  some  four  miles  long  and  from  a 
half  mile  to  a  mile  wide,  directly  north  of 
Hatchatchie  Valley  (erroneously  spelled  Hetch 
Hetchy).  It  appears  to  have  no  name  among  Amer 
icans,  but  the  Indians  call  it  O-wai-a-nuh,  which  is 
manifestly  a  dialectic  variation  of  a-wai'-a,  the  generic 
word  for  "  lake."  Nat.  Screech,  a  veteran  mountaineer 
and  hunter,  states  that  he  visited  this  region  in  1850, 
and  at  that  time  there  was  a  valley  along  the  river  hav 
ing  the  same  dimensions  that  this  lake  now  has.  Again, 
in  1855,  he  happened  to  pass  that  way  and  discovered 
that  the  lake  had  been  formed  as  it  now  exists.  He 
was  at  a  loss  to  account  for  its  origin ;  but  subsequently 
he  acquired  the  Miwok  language  as  spoken  at  Little 
Gap,  and  while  listening  to  the  Indians  one  day  he 

1  (Vol.  3,  Part  2,  U.  S.  Geographical  and  Geological  Survey  of 
the  Rocky  Mountain  region:  Contributions  to  North  American 
Ethnology,  1877.) 

104 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

overheard  them  casually  refer  to  the  formation  of  this 
lake  in  an  extraordinary  manner.  On  being  questioned 
they  stated  that  there  had  been  a  tremendous  cataclysm 
in  that  valley,  the  bottom  of  it  having  fallen  out  ap 
parently,  whereby  the  entire  valley  was  submerged  in 
the  waters  of  the  river.  As  nearly  as  he  could  ascer 
tain  from  their  imperfect  methods  of  reckoning  time, 
this  occurred  in  1851;  and  in  that  year,  while  in  the 
town  of  Sonora,  Screech  and  many  others  remembered 
to  have  heard  a  huge  explosion  in  that  direction  which 
they  then  supposed  was  caused  by  a  local  earthquake. 

On  Drew's  Ranch,  Middle  Fork  of  the  Tuolumne, 
lives  an  aged  squaw  called  Dish-i,  who  was  in  the  val 
ley  when  this  remarkable  event  occurred.  According 
to  her  account  the  earth  dropped  in  beneath  their  feet, 
and  waters  of  the  river  leaped  up  and  came  rushing 
upon  them  in  a  vast,  roaring  flood,  almost  perpendic 
ular  like  a  wall  of  rock.  At  first  the  Indians  were 
stricken  dumb,  and  motionless  with  terror,  but  when 
they  saw  the  waters  coming,  they  escaped  for  life, 
though  thirty  or  forty  were  overtaken  and  drowned. 
Another  squaw  named  Isabel  says  that  the  stubs  of 
trees,  which  are  still  plainly  visible  deep  down  in  the 
pellucid  waters,  are  considered  by  the  old  superstitious 
Indians  to  be  evil  spirits,  the  demons  of  the  place, 
reaching  up  their  arms,  and  that  they  fear  them  greatly. 

105 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 


CALIFORNIA  BIG  TREES 

Pai  Utes  (near  Kern  River,  Cal.} 

THE    California   big   trees    are   sacred    to    the 
Monos,   who   call   them   "  <woh-<woh-nau"   a 
word  formed  in  imitation  of  the  hoot  of  the 
owl.     The  owl  is  the  guardian  spirit  and  the  god  of 
the   big   trees.      Bad   luck   comes    to   those  who   cut 
down  the  big  trees,  or  shoot  at  an  owl,  or  shoot  in  the 
presence  of  the  owl. 

In  old  days  the  Indians  tried  to  persuade  the  white 
men  not  to  cut  down  the  big  trees.  When  they  see  the 
trees  cut  down  they  call  after  the  white  men.  They 
say  the  owl  will  bring  them  evil. 


106 


Putnam  <f-  Valentine 

WOH-WOH-NAU,    THE    SACRED   TREES    OF   THE    MoNOS 


Courtesy  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution 

APACHE  MEDICINE  SHIRT 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 


THE  CHILDREN  OF  CLOUD 

Pima  (Arizona) 

WHEN  the  Hohokam  dwelt  on  the  Gila  River 
and  tilled  their  farms  around  the  great  temple 
which  we  call  Casa  Grande,  there  was  a  beau 
tiful  young  woman  in  the  pueblo  who  had  two  twin 
sons.  Their  father  was  Cloud,  and  he  lived  far  away. 

One  day  the  boys  came  to  their  mother,  as  she  was 
weaving  mats.  "Who  is  our  father? "  they  asked. 
"  We  have  no  one  to  run  to  when  he  returns  from  the 
hunt,  or  from  war,  to  shout  to  him." 

The  mother  answered :  "  In  the  morning,  look  to 
ward  the  sunrise  and  you  will  see  a  white  Cloud  stand 
ing  upright.  He  is  your  father." 

"  Can  we  visit  our  father?  "  they  asked. 

"  Yes,"  said  their  mother.  "  You  may  visit  him,  but 
you  must  make  the  journey  without  stopping.  First 
you  will  reach  Wind,  who  is  your  father's  eldest 
brother.  Behind  him  you  will  find  your  father." 

The  boys  travelled  four  days  and  came  to  the  house 
of  Wind. 

"  Are  you  our  father?  "  they  asked. 

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MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS    OF    CALIFORNIA 

"  No,  I  am  your  Uncle,"  answered  Wind.  "  Your 
father  lives  in  the  next  house.  Go  on  to  him." 

They  travelled  on  to  Cloud.  But  Cloud  drove  them 
away.  He  said,  "  Go  to  your  uncle  Wind.  He  will 
tell  you  something."  But  Wind  sent  them  back  to 
Cloud  again.  Thus  the  boys  were  driven  away  from 
each  house  four  times. 

Then  Cloud  said  to  them,  "  Prove  to  me  you  are  my 
sons.  If  you  are,  you  can  do  what  I  do." 

The  younger  boy  sent  chain  lightning  across  the  sky 
with  sharp,  crackling  thunder.  The  elder  boy  sent 
the  heat  lightning  with  its  distant  rumble  of  thunder. 

"  You  are  my  children,"  said  Cloud.  "  You  have 
power  like  mine." 

But  again  he  tested  them.  He  took  them  to  a  house 
near  by  where  a  flood  of  rain  had  drowned  the  people. 
"  If  they  are  my  sons,"  he  said,  "  they  will  not  be 
harmed." 

Then  Cloud  sent  the  rain  and  the  storm.  The  water 
rose  higher  and  higher,  but  the  two  boys  were  not 
harmed.  The  water  could  not  drown  them.  Then 
Cloud  took  them  to  his  home  and  there  they  stayed  a 
long,  long  time. 

But  after  a  long  time,  the  boys  wished  to  see  their 
mother  again.  Then  Cloud  made  them  some  bows  and 

arrows  differing  from  any  they  had  ever  seen,  and  sent 

1 08 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS    OF    CALIFORNIA 

them  to  their  mother.  He  told  them  he  would  watch 
over  them  as  they  travelled  but  they  must  speak  to  no 
one  they  met  on  their  way. 

So  the  boys  travelled  to  the  setting  sun.  First  they 
met  Raven.  They  remembered  their  father's  com 
mand  and  turned  aside  so  as  not  to  meet  him.  Then 
they  met  Roadrunner,  and  turned  aside  to  avoid  him. 
Next  came  Hawk  and  Eagle. 

Eagle  said,  "  Let 's  scare  those  boys."  So  he  swooped 
down  over  their  heads  until  they  cried  from  fright. 

"  We  were  just  teasing  you,"  said  Eagle.  "  We  will 
not  do  you  any  harm."  Then  Eagle  flew  on. 

Next  they  met  Coyote.  They  tried  to  avoid  him,  but 
Coyote  ran  around  and  put  himself  in  their  way. 
Cloud  wras  watching  and  he  sent  down  thunder  and 
lightning.  And  the  boys  sent  out  their  magic  thunder 
and  lightning  also,  until  Coyote  was  frightened  and 
ran  away. 

Now  this  happened  on  the  mountain  top,  and  one 
boy  was  standing  on  each  side  of  the  trail.  After 
Coyote  ran  away,  they  were  changed  into  mescal  —  the 
very  largest  mescal  ever  known.  The  place  was  near 
Tucson.  This  is  the  reason  why  mescal  grows  on  the 
mountains,  and  why  thunder  and  lightning  go  from 
place  to  place  —  because  the  children  did.  That  is 

why  it  rains  when  we  gather  mescal. 

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MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 


THE  CLOUD  PEOPLE 

Sia  (New  Mexico) 

NOW  all  the  Cloud  People,  the  Lightning  Peo 
ple,  the  Thunder  and  Rainbow  Peoples  fol 
lowed  the  Sia  into  the  upper  world.  But  all 
the  people  of  Tinia,  the  middle  world,  did  not  leave 
the  lower  world.  Only  a  portion  were  sent  by  the 
Spider  to  work  for  the  people  of  the  upper  world.  The 
Cloud  People  are  so  many  that,  although  the  demands 
of  the  earth  people  are  so  great,  there  are  always  many 
passing  about  over  Tinia  for  pleasure.  These  Cloud 
People  ride  on  wheels,  small  wheels  being  used  by  the 
little  Cloud  children  and  large  wheels  by  the  older 


ones.1 


The  Cloud  People  keep  always  behind  their  masks. 
The  shape  of  the  mask  depends  upon  the  number  of 
the  people  and  the  work  being  done.  The  Henati  are 
the  floating  white  clouds  behind  which  the  Cloud  Peo 
ple  pass  for  pleasure.  The  Heash  are  clouds  like  the 

1  The  Indians  say  the  Americans  also  ride  wheels,  therefore  they 
must  have  known  about  the  Cloud  People. 

1 10 


P     )' 


mmn 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

plains  and  behind  these  the  Cloud  People  are  laboring 
to  water  the  earth.  Water  is  brought  by  the  Cloud 
People,  from  the  springs  at  the  base  of  the  mountains, 
in  gourds  and  jugs  and  vases  by  the  men,  women,  and 
children.  They  rise  from  the  springs  and  pass  through 
the  trunk  of  the  tree  to  its  top,  which  reaches  Tinia. 
They  pass  on  to  the  point  to  be  sprinkled. 

The  priest  of  the  Cloud  People  is  above  even  the 
priests  of  the  Thunder,  Lightning,  and  Rainbow  Peo 
ples.  The  Cloud  People  have  ceremonials,  just  like 
those  of  the  Sia.  On  the  altars  of  the  Sia  may  be  seen 
figures  arranged  just  as  the  Cloud  People  sit  in  their 
ceremonials. 

When  a  priest  of  the  Cloud  People  wishes  assistance 
from  the  Thunder  and  Lightning  Peoples,  he  notifies 
their  priests,  but  keeps  a  supervision  of  all  things  him 
self. 

Then  the  Lightning  People  shoot  their  arrows  to 
make  it  rain  the  harder.  The  smaller  flashes  come  from 
the  bows  of  the  children. >  The  Thunder  People  have 
human  forms,  with  wings  of  knives,  and  by  flapping 
these  wings  they  make  a  great  noise.  Thus  they  frighten 
the  Cloud  and  Lightning  People  into  working  the 
harder. 

The  Rainbow  People  were  created  to  work  in  Tinia 

to  make  it  more  beautiful  for  the  people  of  Ha-arts, 

in 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

the  earth,  to  look  upon.  The  elders  make  the  beau 
tiful  rainbows,  but  the  children  assist.  The  Sia  have 
no  idea  of  what  or  how  these  bows  are  made.  They 
do  know,  however,  that  war  heroes  always  travel  upon 
the  rainbows. 


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MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF    CALIFORNIA 


RAIN  SONG 

Sia  (New  Mexico) 

WE,  the  ancient  ones,  ascended  from  the  middle 
of  the  world  below,  through  the  door  of  the 
entrance  to  the  lower  world,  we  hold  our 
songs  to  the  Cloud,  Lightning,  and  Thunder  Peoples  as 
we  hold  our  own  hearts.    Our  medicine  is  precious. 
(Addressing  the  people  of  Tinia:) 
We  entreat  you  to  send  your  thoughts  to  us  so  that 
we  may  sing  your  songs  straight,  so  that  they  will  pass 
over  the  straight  road  to  the  Cloud  priests  that  they 
may  cover  the  earth  with  water,  so  that  she  may  bear 
all  that  is  good  for  us. 

Lightning  People,  send  your  arrows  to  the  middle  of 
the  earth.  Hear  the  echo!  Who  is  it?  The  People 
of  the  Spruce  of  the  North.  All  your  people  and  your 
thoughts  come  to  us.  Who  is  it?  People  of  the  white 
floating  Clouds.  Your  thoughts  come  to  us.  All  your 
people  and  your  thoughts  come  to  us.  Who  is  it?  The 
Lightning  People.  Your  thoughts  come  to  us.  Who 
is  it?  Cloud  People  at  the  horizon.  All  your  people 
and  your  thoughts  come  to  us. 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


RAIN  SONG 

WHITE  floating  clouds.  Clouds,  like  the  plains, 
come  and  water  the  earth.  Sun,  embrace  the 
earth  that  she  may  be  fruitful.  Moon,  lion 
of  the  north,  bear  of  the  west,  badger  of  the  south,  wolf 
of  the  east,  eagle  of  the  heavens,  shrew  of  the  earth, 
elder  war  hero,  younger  war  hero,  warriors  of  the  six 
mountains  of  the  world,  intercede  with  the  Cloud  Peo 
ple  for  us  that  they  may  water  the  earth.  Medicine 
bowl,  cloud  bowl,  and  water  vase  give  us  your  hearts, 
that  the  earth  may  be  watered.  I  make  the  ancient 
road  of  meal  that  my  song  may  pass  straight  over  it  — 
the  ancient  road.  White  shell  bead  woman  who  lives 
where  the  sun  goes  down,  mother  whirlwind,  father 
Sussistinnako,  mother  Yaya,  creator  of  good  thoughts, 
yellow  woman  of  the  north,  blue  woman  of  the  west, 
red  woman  of  the  south,  white  woman  of  the  east, 
slightly  yellow  woman  of  the  zenith,  and  dark  woman 
of  the  nadir,  I  ask  your  intercession  with  the  Cloud 
People. 


114 


MYTHS   AND   LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


RAIN  SONG 

Sia  (New  Mexico) 

ET  the  white  floating  clouds  —  the  clouds  like  the 
plains  —  the  lightning,  thunder,  rainbow,  and 
cloud  peoples,  water  the  earth.     Let  the  peo 
ple  of  the  white  floating  clouds, —  the  people  of  the 
clouds  like  the  plains  —  the  lightning,  thunder,  rain 
bow,  and  cloud  peoples  —  come  and  work  for  us,  and 
water  the  earth. 


MYTHS   AND   LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


THE  CORN  MAIDENS 

Zuni  (New  Mexico) 

AFTER  long  ages  of  wandering,  the  precious 
Seed-things  rested  over  the  Middle  at  Zuni, 
and  men  turned  their  hearts  to  the  cherishing 
of  their  corn  and  the  Corn  Maidens  instead  of  warring 
with  strange  men. 

But  there  was  complaint  by  the  people  of  the  cus 
toms  followed.  Some  said  the  music  was  not  that  of 
the  olden  time.  Far  better  was  that  which  of  nights 
they  often  heard  as  they  wandered  up  and  down  the 
river  trail.1  Wonderful  music,  as  of  liquid  voices  in 
caverns,  or  the  echo  of  women's  laughter  in  water-vases. 
And  the  music  was  timed  with  a  deep-toned  drum  from 
the  Mountain  of  Thunder.  Others  thought  the  music 
was  that  of  the  ghosts  of  ancient  men,  but  it  was  far 
more  beautiful  than  the  music  when  danced  the  Corn 
Maidens.  Others  said  light  clouds  rolled  upward  from 
the  grotto  in  Thunder  Mountain  like  to  the  mists  that 
leave  behind  them  the  dew,  but  lo!  even  as  they  faded 

1  The  mists  and  the  dawn  breeze  on  the  river  and  in  the  grotto. 

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ZUNI  ANCESTRAL  ROCK  GODS 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

the  bright  garments  of  the  Rainbow  women  might  be 
seen  fluttering,  and  the  broidery  and  paintings  of  these 
dancers  of  the  mist  were  more  beautiful  than  the 
costumes  of  the  Corn  Maidens. 

Then  the  priests  of  the  people  said,  "  It  may  well  be 
Paiyatuma,  the  liquid  voices  his  flute  and  the  flutes 
of  his  players." 

Now  when  the  time  of  ripening  corn  was  near,  the 
fathers  ordered  preparation  for  the  dance  of  the  Corn 
Maidens.  They  sent  the  two  Master-Priests  of  the  Bow 
to  the  grotto  at  Thunder  Mountains,  saying,  "  If  you 
behold  Paiyatuma,  and  his  maidens,  perhaps  they  will 
give  us  the  help  of  their  customs." 

Then  up  the  river  trail,  the  priests  heard  the  sound 
of  a  drum  and  strains  of  song.  It  was  Paiyatuma  and 
his  seven  maidens,  the  Maidens  of  the  House  of  Stars, 
sisters  of  the  Corn  Maidens. 

The  God  of  Dawn  and  Music  lifted  his  flute  and 
took  his  place  in  the  line  of  dancers.  The  drum 
sounded  until  the  cavern  shook  as  with  thunder.  The 
flutes  sang  and  sighed  as  the  wind  in  a  wooded  canon 
while  still  the  storm  is  distant.  White  mists  floated 
up  from  the  wands  of  the  Maidens,  above  which  flut 
tered  the  butterflies  of  Summer-land  about  the  dress  of 
the  Rainbows  in  the  strange  blue  light  of  the  night. 

Then  Paiyatuma,  smiling,  said,  "  Go  the  way  before, 

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MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

telling  the  fathers  of  our  custom,  and  straightway  we 
will  follow." 

Soon  the  sound  of  music  was  heard,  coming  from  up 
the  river,  and  soon  the  Flute  People  and  singers  and 
maidens  of  the  Flute  dance.  Up  rose  the  fathers  and 
all  the  watching  people,  greeting  the  God  of  Dawn 
with  outstretched  hand  and  offering  of  prayer  meal. 
Then  the  singers  took  their  places  and  sounded  their 
drum,  flutes,  and  song  of  clear  waters,  while  the  Maid 
ens  of  the  Dew  danced  their  Flute  dance.  Greatly 
marvelled  the  people,  when  from  the  wands  they  bore 
forth  came  white  clouds,  and  fine  cool  mists  descended. 

Now  when  the  dance  was  ended  and  the  Dew  Maid 
ens  had  retired,  out  came  the  beautiful  Mothers  of 
Corn.  And  when  the  players  of  the  flutes  saw  them, 
they  were  enamoured  of  their  beauty  and  gazed  upon 
them  so  intently  that  the  Maidens  let  fall  their  hair 
and  cast  down  their  eyes.  And  jealous  and  bolder  grew 
the  mortal  youths,  and  in  the  morning  dawn,  in  rivalry, 
the  dancers  sought  all  too  freely  the  presence  of  the 
Corn  Maidens,  no  longer  holding  them  so  precious  as 
in  the  olden  time.  And  the  matrons,  intent  on  the  new 
dance,  heeded  naught  else.  But  behold!  The  mists 
increased  greatly,  surrounding  dancers  and  watchers 
alike,  until  within  them,  the  Maidens  of  Corn,  all  in 

white  garments,  became  invisible.     Then  sadly  and 

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MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

noiselessly  they  stole  in  amongst  the  people  and  laid 
their  corn  wands  down  amongst  the  trays,  and  laid 
their  white  broidered  garments  thereupon,  as  mothers 
lay  soft  kilting  over  their  babes.  Then  even  as  the  mists 
became  they,  and  with  the  mists  drifting,  fled  away,  to 
the  far  south  Summer-land. 


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MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 


THE  SEARCH  FOR  THE  CORN  MAIDENS 

Zuni  (New  Mexico) 

THEN  the  people  in  their  trouble  called  the 
two  Master-Priests  and  said: 

"  Who,  now,  think  ye,  should  journey  to 
seek  our  precious  Maidens?  Bethink  ye!  Who  amongst 
the  Beings  is  even  as  ye  are,  strong  of  will  and  good  of 
eyes?  There  is  our  great  elder  brother  and  father, 
Eagle,  he  of  the  floating  down  and  of  the  terraced  tail- 
fan.  Surely  he  is  enduring  of  will  and  surpassing  of 
sight." 

"  Yea.  Most  surely,"  said  the  fathers.  "  Go  ye  forth 
and  beseech  him." 

Then  the  two  sped  north  to  Twin  Mountain,  where 
in  a  grotto  high  up  among  the  crags,  with  his  mate  and 
his  young,  dwelt  the  Eagle  of  the  White  Bonnet. 

They  climbed  the  mountain,  but  behold!  Only  the 
eaglets  were  there.  They  screamed  lustily  and  tried 
to  hide  themselves  in  the  dark  recesses.  "  Pull  not  our 
feathers,  ye  of  hurtful  touch,  but  wait.  When  we  are 

older  we  will  drop  them  for  you  even  from  the  clouds." 

1 20 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

"  Hush,"  said  the  warriors.     "  Wait  in  peace.    We 
seek  not  ye  but  thy  father." 

Then  from  afar,  with  a  frown,  came  old  Eagle. 
"  Why  disturb  ye  my  featherlings?  "  he  cried. 

"  Behold!    Father  and  elder  brother,  we  come  seek 
ing  only  the  light  of  thy  favor.     Listen! " 

Then  they  told  him  of  the  lost  Maidens  of  the  Corn, 
and  begged  him  to  search  for  them. 

"  Be  it  well  with  thy  wishes,"  said  Eagle.    "  Go  ye 
before  contentedly." 

So  the  warriors  returned  to  the  council.  But  Eagle 
winged  his  way  high  into  the  sky.  High,  high,  he 
rose,  until  he  circled  among  the  clouds,  small-seem 
ing  and  swift,  like  seed-down  in  a  whirlwind.  Through 
all  the  heights,  to  the  north,  to  the  west,  to  the  south, 
and  to  the  east,  he  circled  and  sailed.  Yet  nowhere 
saw  he  trace  of  the  Corn  Maidens.  Then  he  flew  lower, 
returning.  Before  the  warriors  were  rested,  people 
heard  the  roar  of  his  wings.  As  he  alighted,  the  fathers 
said,  "  Enter  thou  and  sit,  oh  brother,  and  say  to  us 
what  thou  hast  to  say."  And  they  offered  him  the 
cigarette  of  the  space  relations. 

When  they  had  puffed  the  smoke  toward  the  four 
points  of  the  compass,  and  Eagle  had  purified  his 
breath  with  smoke,  and  had  blown  smoke  over  sacred 
things,  he  spoke. 


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MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

"  Far  have  I  journeyed,  scanning  all  the  regions. 
Neither  bluebird  nor  woodrat  can  hide  from  my  see 
ing,"  he  said,  snapping  his  beak.  "  Neither  of  them, 
unless  they  hide  under  bushes.  Yet  I  have  failed  to  see 
anything  of  the  Maidens  ye  seek  for.  Send  for  my 
younger  brother,  the  Falcon.  Strong  of  flight  is  he, 
yet  not  so  strong  as  I,  and  nearer  the  ground  he  takes 
his  way  ere  sunrise." 

Then  the  Eagle  spread  his  wings  and  flew  away  to 
Twin  Mountain.  The  Warrior-Priests  of  the  Bow 
sped  again  fleetly  over  the  plain  to  the  westward  for 
his  younger  brother,  Falcon. 

Sitting  on  an  ant  hill,  so  the  warriors  found  Fal 
con.  He  paused  as  they  approached,  crying,  "  If  ye 
have  snare  strings,  I  will  be  off  like  the  flight  of  an 
arrow  well  plumed  of  our  feathers!  " 

"  No,"  said  the  priests.  "  Thy  elder  brother  hath 
bidden  us  seek  thee." 

Then  they  told  Falcon  what  had  happened,  and  how 
Eagle  had  failed  to  find  the  Corn  Maidens,  so  white 
and  beautiful. 

"Failed!"  said  Falcon.  "  Of  course  he  failed. 
He  climbs  aloft  to  the  clouds  and  thinks  he  can  see  un 
der  every  bush  and  into  every  shadow,  as  sees  the  Sun- 
father  who  sees  not  with  eyes.  Go  ye  before." 

Before  the  Warrior-Priests  had  turned  toward  the 

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MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

town,  the  Falcon  had  spread  his  sharp  wings  and  was 
skimming  off  over  the  tops  of  the  trees  and  bushes  as 
though  verily  seeking  for  field  mice  or  birds'  nests. 
And  the  Warriors  returned  to  tell  the  fathers  and  to 
await  his  coming. 

But  after  Falcon  had  searched  over  the  world,  to 
the  north  and  west,  to  the  east  and  south,  he  too  re 
turned  and  was  received  as  had  been  Eagle.  He 
settled  on  the  edge  of  a  tray  before  the  altar,  as  on  the 
ant  hill  he  settles  to-day.  When  he  had  smoked  and 
had  been  smoked,  as  had  been  Eagle,  he  told  the  sor 
rowing  fathers  and  mothers  that  he  had  looked  be 
hind  every  copse  and  cliff  shadow,  but  of  the  Maidens 
he  had  found  no  trace. 

"  They  are  hidden  more  closely  than  ever  sparrow 
hid,"  he  said.  Then  he,  too,  flew  away  to  his  hills  in 
the  west. 

"  Our  beautiful  Maiden  Mothers,"  cried  the  ma 
trons.  "  Lost,  lost  as  the  dead  are  they! " 

"  Yes,"  said  the  others.  "  Where  now  shall  we  seek 
them?  The  far-seeing  Eagle  and  the  close-searching 
Falcon  alike  have  failed  to  find  them." 

"  Stay  now  your  feet  with  patience,"  said  the  fathers. 
Some  of  them  had  heard  Raven,  who  sought  food  in 
the  refuse  and  dirt  at  the  edge  of  town,  at  daybreak. 

"  Look  now,"   they  said.     "  There  is   Heavy-nose, 

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MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

whose  beak  never  fails  to  find  the  substance  of  seed 
itself,  however  little  or  well  hidden  it  be.  He  surely 
must  know  of  the  Corn  Maidens.  Let  us  call  him." 

So  the  warriors  went  to  the  river  side.  When  they 
found  Raven,  they  raised  their  hands,  all  weaponless. 

"  We  carry  no  pricking  quills,"  they  called.  "  Black- 
banded  father,  we  seek  your  aid.  Look  now!  The 
Mother-maidens  of  Seed  whose  substance  is  the  food 
alike  of  thy  people  and  our  people,  have  fled  away. 
Neither  our  grandfather  the  Eagle,  nor  his  younger 
brother  the  Falcon,  can  trace  them.  We  beg  you  to 
aid  us  or  counsel  us." 

"  Ka!  ka!  "  cried  the  Raven.  "  Too  hungry  am  I  to 
go  abroad  fasting  on  business  for  ye.  Ye  are  stingy! 
Here  have  I  been  since  perching  time,  trying  to  find 
a  throatful,  but  ye  pick  thy  bones  and  lick  thy  bowls 
too  clean  for  that,  be  sure." 

"  Come  in,  then,  poor  grandfather.  We  will  give 
thee  food  to  eat.  Yea,  and  a  cigarette  to  smoke,  with 
all  the  ceremony." 

"Say  ye  so?"  said  the  Raven.  He  ruffled  his  col 
lar  and  opened  his  mouth  so  wide  with  a  lusty  kaw- 
la-ka-  that  he  might  well  have  swallowed  his  own  head. 
"  Go  ye  before,"  he  said,  and  followed  them  into  the 
court  of  the  dancers. 

He  was  not  ill  to  look  upon.     Upon  his  shoulders 

124 


Copyright  by  George  Wharton  James 

THE  LITTLE  BASKET-MAKER 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

were  bands  of  white  cotton,  and  his  back  was  blue, 
gleaming  like  the  hair  of  a  maiden  dancer  in  the  sun 
light.  The  Master-Priest  greeted  Raven,  bidding  him 
sit  and  smoke. 

"  Hal  There  is  corn  in  this,  else  why  the  stalk  of 
it?  "  said  the  Raven,  when  he  took  the  cane  cigarette 
of  the  far  spaces  and  noticed  the  joint  of  it.  Then  he  did 
as  he  had  seen  the  Master-Priest  do,  only  more  greedily. 
He  sucked  in  such  a  throatful  of  the  smoke,  fire  and 
all,  that  it  almost  strangled  him.  He  coughed  and 
grew  giddy,  and  the  smoke  all  hot  and  stinging  went 
through  every  part  of  him.  It  filled  all  his  feathers, 
making  even  his  brown  eyes  bluer  and  blacker,  in  rings. 
It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  the  blueness  of  flesh,  black 
ness  of  dress,  and  skinniness,  yes,  and  tearfulness  of  eye 
which  we  see  in  the  Raven  to-day.  And  they  are  all  as 
greedy  of  corn  food  as  ever,  for  behold!  No  sooner 
had  the  old  Raven  recovered  than  he  espied  one  of 
the  ears  of  corn  half  hidden  under  the  mantle-covers 
of  the  trays.  He  leaped  from  his  place  laughing. 
They  always  laugh  when  they  find  anything,  these 
ravens.  Then  he  caught  up  the  ear  of  corn  and  made 
off  with  it  over  the  heads  of  the  people  and  the  tops 
of  the  houses,  crying, 

"  Ha!  ha!  In  this  wise  and  in  no  other  will  ye  find 
thy  Seed  Maidens." 

125 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

But  after  a  while  he  came  back,  saying,  "  A  sharp 
eye  have  I  for  the  flesh  of  the  Maidens.  But  who 
might  see  their  breathing-beings,  ye  dolts,  except  by 
the  help  of  the  Father  of  Dawn-Mist  himself,  whose 
breath  makes  breath  of  others  seem  as  itself."  Then 
he  flew  away  cawing. 

Then  the  elders  said  to  each  other,  "  It  is  our  fault, 
so  how  dare  we  prevail  on  our  father  Paiyatuma  to 
aid  us?  He  warned  us  of  this  in  the  old  time." 

Suddenly,  for  the  sun  was  rising,  they  heard  Paiya 
tuma  in  his  daylight  mood  and  transformation. 
Thoughtless  and  loud,  uncouth  in  speech,  he  walked 
along  the  outskirts  of  the  village.  He  joked  fearlessly 
even  of  fearful  things,  for  all  his  words  and  deeds  were 
the  reverse  of  his  sacred  being.  He  sat  down  on  a 
heap  of  vile  refuse,  saying  he  would  have  a  feast. 

"  My  poor  little  children,"  he  said.  But  he  spoke 
to  aged  priests  and  white-haired  matrons. 

"  Good-night  to  you  all,"  he  said,  though  it  was  in 
full  dawning.  So  he  perplexed  them  with  his  speeches. 

"  We  beseech  thy  favor,  oh  father,  and  thy  aid,  in 
finding  our  beautiful  Maidens."  So  the  priests 
mourned. 

"  Oh,  that  is  all,  is  it?  But  why  find  that  which  is 
not  lost,  or  summon  those  who  will  not  come?  " 

Then  he   reproached  them  for  not  preparing  the 

126 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS    OF    CALIFORNIA 

sacred  plumes,  and  picked  up  the  very  plumes  he  had 
said  were  not  there. 

Then  the  wise  Pekwinna,  the  Speaker  of  the  Sun, 
took  two  plumes  and  the  banded  wing-tips  of  the  turkey, 
and  approaching  Paiyatuma  stroked  him  with  the  tips 
of  the  feathers  and  then  laid  the  feathers  upon  his 
lips.  .  .  . 

Then  Paiyatuma  became  aged  and  grand  and 
straight,  as  is  a  tall  tree  shorn  by  lightning.  He  said 
to  the  father : 

"  Thou  are  wise  of  thought  and  good  of  heart. 
Therefore  I  will  summon  from  Summer-land  the  beau 
tiful  Maidens  that  ye  may  look  upon  them  once  more 
and  make  offering  of  plumes  in  sacrifice  for  them,  but 
they  are  lost  as  dwellers  amongst  ye." 

Then  he  told  them  of  the  song  lines  and  the  sacred 
speeches  and  of  the  offering  of  the  sacred  plume  wands, 
and  then  turned  him  about  and  sped  away  so  fleetly 
that  none  saw  him. 

Beyond  the  first  valley  of  the  high  plain  to  the  south 
ward  Paiyatuma  planted  the  four  plume  wands.  First 
he  planted  the  yellow,  bending  over  it  and  watching  it. 
When  it  ceased  to  flutter,  the  soft  down  on  it  leaned 
northward  but  moved  not.  Then  he  set  the  blue  wand 
and  watched  it;  then  the  white  wand.  The  eagle  down 

on  them  leaned  to  right  and  left  and  still  northward, 

127 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF    CALIFORNIA 

yet  moved  not.  Then  farther  on  he  planted  the  red 
wand,  and  bending  low,  without  breathing,  watched  it 
closely.  The  soft  down  plumes  began  to  wave  as 
though  blown  by  the  breath  of  some  small  creature. 
Backward  and  forward,  northward  and  southward  they 
swayed,  as  if  in  time  to  the  breath  of  one  resting. 

"  '  T  is  the  breath  of  my  Maidens  in  Summer-land, 
for  the  plumes  of  the  southland  sway  soft  to  their 
gentle  breathing.  So  shall  it  ever  be.  When  I  set 
the  down  of  my  mists  on  the  plains  and  scatter  my 
bright  beads  in  the  northland,1  summer  shall  go  thither 
from  afar,  borne  on  the  breath  of  the  Seed  Maidens. 
Where  they  breathe,  warmth,  showers,  and  fertility 
shall  follow  with  the  birds  of  Summer-land,  and  the 
butterflies,  northward  over  the  world." 

Then  Paiyatuma  arose  and  sped  by  the  magic  of  his 
knowledge  into  the  countries  of  Summer-land, —  fled 
swiftly  and  silently  as  the  soft  breath  he  sought  for, 
bearing  his  painted  flute  before  him.  And  when  he 
paused  to  rest,  he  played  on  his  painted  flute  and  the 
butterflies  and  birds  sought  him.  So  he  sent  them  to 
seek  the  Maidens,  following  swiftly,  and  long  before  he 
found  them  he  greeted  them  with  the  music  of  his  song- 
sound,  even  as  the  People  of  the  Seed  now  greet  them 
in  the  song  of  the  dancers. 

1  Dew  drops. 

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MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

When  the  Maidens  heard  his  music  and  saw  his  tall 
form  in  their  great  fields  of  corn,  they  plucked  ears, 
each  of  her  own  kind,  and  with  them  filled  their  col 
ored  trays  and  over  all  spread  embroidered  mantles,  — 
embroidered  in  all  the  bright  colors  and  with  the  creat 
ure-songs  of  Summer-land.  So  they  sallied  forth  to 
meet  him  and  welcome  him.  Then  he  greeted  them, 
each  with  the  touch  of  his  hands  and  the  breath  of  his 
flute,  and  bade  them  follow  him  to  the  northland  home 
of  their  deserted  children. 

So  by  the  magic  of  their  knowledge  they  sped  back 
as  the  stars  speed  over  the  world  at  night  time,  toward 
the  home  of  our  ancients.  Only  at  night  and  dawn 
they  journeyed,  as  the  dead  do,  and  the  stars  also.  So 
they  came  at  evening  in  the  full  of  the  last  moon 
to  the  Place  of  the  Middle,  bearing  their  trays  of 
seed. 

Glorious  was  Paiyatuma,  as  he  walked  into  the  courts 
of  the  dancers  in  the  dusk  of  the  evening  and  stood  with 
folded  arms  at  the  foot  of  the  bow-fringed  ladder  of 
priestly  council,  he  and  his  follower  Shutsukya.  He 
was  tall  and  beautiful  and  banded  with  his  own  mists, 
and  carried  the  banded  wings  of  the  turkeys  with  which 
he  had  winged  his  flight  from  afar,  leading  the  Maid 
ens,  and  followed  as  by  his  own  shadow  by  the  black 

being  of  the  corn-soot,  Shutsukya,  who  cries  with  the 

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MYTHS   AND   LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

voice  of  the  frost  wind  when  the  corn  has  grown  aged 
and  the  harvest  is  taken  away. 

And  surpassingly  beautiful  were  the  Maidens  clothed 
in  the  white  cotton  and  embroidered  garments  of  Sum 
mer-land. 

Then  after  long  praying  and  chanting  by  the  priests, 
the  fathers  of  the  people,  and  those  of  the  Seed  and 
Water,  and  the  keepers  of  sacred  things,  the  Maiden- 
mother  of  the  North  advanced  to  the  foot  of  the  lad 
der.  She  lifted  from  her  head  the  beautiful  tray  of 
yellow  corn  and  Paiyatama  took  it.  He  pointed  it  to 
the  regions,  each  in  turn,  and  the  Priest  of  the  North 
came  an*d  received  the  tray  of  sacred  seed. 

Then  the  Maiden  of  the  West  advanced  and  gave 
up  her  tray  of  blue  corn.  So  each  in  turn  the  Maid 
ens  gave  up  their  trays  of  precious  seed.  The  Maiden 
of  the  South,  the  red  seed;  the  Maiden  of  the  East, 
the  white  seed;  then  the  Maiden  with  the  black  seed, 
and  lastly,  the  tray  of  all-color  seed  which  the  Priestess 
of  Seed-and-All  herself  received. 

And  now,  behold!  The  Maidens  stood  as  before, 
she  of  the  North  at  the  northern  end,  but  with  her 
face  southward  far  looking;  she  of  the  West,  next, 
and  lo!  so  all  of  them,  with  the  seventh  and  last,  look 
ing  southward.  And  standing  thus,  the  darkness  of  the 

night  fell  around  them.    As  shadows  in  deep  night,  so 

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MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

these  Maidens  of  the  Seed  of  Corn,  the  beloved  and 
beautiful,  were  seen  no  more  of  men.  And  Paiyatuma 
stood  alone,  for  Shutsukya  walked  now  behind  the 
Maidens,  whistling  shrilly,  as  the  frost  wind  whistles 
when  the  corn  is  gathered  away,  among  the  lone  canes 
and  dry  leaves  of  a  gleaned  field. 


MYTHS   AND   LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


HASJELTI  AND  HOSTJOGHON 

Navajo  (New  Mexico) 

HASJELTI  was  the  son  of  the  white  corn,  and 
Hostjoghon  the  son  of  the  yellow  corn.    They 
were  born  on  the  mountains  where  the  fogs 
meet.    These  two  became  the  great  song-makers  of  the 
world. 

To  the  mountain  where  they  were  born  (Henry 
Mountain,  Utah),  they  gave  two  songs  and  two  pray 
ers.  Then  they  went  to  Sierra  Blanca  (Colorado)  and 
made  two  songs  and  prayers  and  dressed  the  mountain 
in  clothing  of  white  shell  with  two  eagle  plumes  upon 
its  head.  They  visited  San  Mateo  Mountain  (New 
Mexico)  and  gave  to  it  two  songs  and  prayers,  and 
dressed  it  in  turquoise,  even  to  leggings  and  moccasins, 
and  placed  two  eagle  plumes  upon  its  head.  Then  they 
went  to  San  Francisco  Mountain  (Arizona)  and  made 
two  songs  and  prayers  and  dressed  that  mountain  in 
abalone  shells  with  two  eagle  plumes  upon  its  head. 
They  then  visited  Ute  Mountain  and  gave  to  it  two 
songs  and  prayers  and  dressed  it  in  black  beads.  Then 
they  returned  to  their  own  mountain  where  the  fogs 

meet  and  said,  "  We  two  have  made  all  these  songs." 

132 


•J 
_) 

o 

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MYTHS   AND   LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

Other  brothers  were  born  of  the  white  corn  and  yel 
low  corn,  and  two  brothers  were  placed  on  each  moun 
tain.  They  are  the  spirits  of  the  mountains  and  to 
them  the  clouds  come  first.  All  the  brothers  together 
made  game,  the  deer  and  elk  and  buffalo,  and  so  game 
was  created. 

Navajos  pray  for  rain  and  snow  to  Hasjelti  and  Host- 
joghon.  They  stand  upon  the  mountain  tops  and  call 
the  clouds  to  gather  around  them.  Hasjelti  prays  to 
the  sun,  for  the  Navajos. 

"  Father,  give  me  the  light  of  your  mind  that  my 
mind  may  be  strong.  Give  me  your  strength,  that  my 
arm  may  be  strong.  Give  me  your  rays,  that  corn  and 
other  vegetation  may  grow." 

The  most  important  prayers  are  addressed  to  Has 
jelti  and  the  most  valuable  gifts  made  to  him.  He 
talks  to  the  Navajos  through  the  birds,  and  for  this 
reason  the  choicest  feathers  and  plumes  are  placed  in 
the  cigarettes  and  attached  to  the  prayer  sticks  offered 
to  him. 


133 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


THE  SONG-HUNTER 

Navajo  (New  Mexico) 

A  MAN  sat  thinking.  "  Let  me  see.  My  songs 
are  too  short.  I  want  more  songs.  Where 
shall  I  go  to  find  them?  " 

Hasjelti  appeared  and  perceiving  his  thoughts,  said, 
"  I  know  where  you  can  get  more  songs." 

"  Well,  I  want  to  get  more.    So  I  will  follow  you." 

They  went  to  a  certain  point  in  a  box  canon  in  the 
Big  Colorado  River  and  here  they  found  four  gods,  the 
Hostjobokon,  at  work,  hewing  cottonwood  logs. 

Hasjelti  said,  "  This  will  not  do.  Cottonwood  be 
comes  water-soaked.  You  must  use  pine  instead  of 
cottonwood." 

The  Hostjobokon  began  boring  the  pine  with  flint, 
but  Hasjelti  said,  "That  is  slow  work."  He  com 
manded  a  whirlwind  to  hollow  the  log.  A  cross,  join 
ing  at  the  exact  middle  of  each  log,  a  solid  one  and 
the  hollow  one,  was  formed.  The  arms  of  the  cross 
were  equal. 

The  song-hunter  entered  the  hollow  log  and  Hasjelti 
closed  the  end  with  a  cloud  so  that  water  would  not 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

enter  when  the  logs  were  launched  upon  the  great 
waters.  The  logs  floated  off.  The  Hostjobokon,  ac 
companied  by  their  wives,  rode  upon  the  logs,  one 
couple  sitting  upon  each  arm.  Hasjelti,  Hostjoghon, 
and  the  two  Naaskiddi  walked  upon  the  banks  to  keep 
the  logs  off  shore.  Hasjelti  carried  a  squirrel  skin 
filled  with  tobacco,  with  which  to  supply  the  gods  on 
their  journey.  Hostjoghon  carried  a  staff  ornamented 
with  eagle  and  turkey  plumes  and  a  gaming  ring  with 
two  humming  birds  tied  to  it  with  white  cotton  cord. 
The  two  Naaskiddi  carried  staffs  of  lightning.  The 
Naaskiddi  had  clouds  upon  their  backs  in  which  the 
seeds  of  all  corn  and  grasses  were  carried. 

After  floating  a  long  distance  down  the  river,  they 
came  to  waters  that  had  a  shore  on  one  side  only.  Here 
they  landed.  Here  they  found  a  people  like  themselves. 
When  these  people  learned  of  the  Song-hunter,  they 
gave  him  many  songs  and  they  painted  pictures  on  a 
cotton  blanket  and  said, 

"  These  pictures  must  go  with  the  songs.  If  we  give 
this  blanket  to  you,  you  will  lose  it.  We  will  give  you 
white  earth  and  black  coals  which  you  will  grind  to 
gether  to  make  black  paint,  and  we  will  give  you  white 
sand,  yellow  sand,  and  red  sand.  For  the  blue  paint 
you  will  take  white  sand  and  black  coals  with  a  very 
little  red  and  yellow  sand.  These  will  give  you  blue." 

i35 


MYTHS   AND   LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

And  so  the  Navajo  people  make  blue,  even  to  this 
day. 

The  Song-hunter  remained  with  these  people  until 
the  corn  was  ripe.  There  he  learned  to  eat  corn  and 
he  carried  some  back  with  him  to  the  Navajos,  who 
had  not  seen  corn  before,  and  he  taught  them  how  to 
raise  it  and  how  to  eat  it. 

When  he  wished  to  return  home,  the  logs  would  not 
float  upstream.  Four  sunbeams  attached  themselves 
to  the  logs,  one  to  each  cross  arm,  and  so  drew  the  Song- 
hunter  back  to  the  box  canon  from  which  he  had 
started.  When  he  reached  that  point,  he  separated  the 
logs.  He  placed  the  end  of  the  solid  log  into  the  hol 
low  end  of  the  other  and  planted  this  great  pole  in  the 
river.  It  may  be  seen  there  to-day  by  the  venturesome. 
In  early  days  many  went  there  to  pray  and  make 
offerings. 


136 


MYTHS   AND   LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


SAND  PAINTING  OF  THE  SONG-HUNTER 

Navajo 
(Explanatory  of  frontispiece) 

THE  black  cross  bars  denote  pine  logs;  the 
white  lines  the  froth  of  the  water;  the  yellow, 
vegetable  debris  gathered  by  the  logs;  the  blue 
and  red  lines,  sunbeams.  The  blue  spot  in  the  centre 
of  the  cross  denotes  water.  There  are  four  Hostjo- 
bokon,  with  their  wives,  the  Hostjoboard.  Each  couple 
sits  upon  one  of  the  cross  arms  of  the  logs.  The  gods 
carry  in  their  right  hands  a  rattle,  and  in  their  left 
sprigs  of  pifian;  the  goddesses  carry  pinon  sprigs  in 
both  hands. 

Hasjelti  is  to  the  east  of  the  painting.  He  carries  a 
squirrel  skin  filled  with  tobacco.  His  shirt  is  white 
cotton  and  very  elastic.  The  leggings  are  of  white  deer 
skin,  fringed,  and  his  head  is  ornamented  with  an 
eagle's  tail;  at  the  tip  of  each  plume  there  is  a  fluffy 
feather  from  the  breast  of  the  eagle.  The  projection 
on  the  right  of  the  throat  is  a  fox  skin. 

Hostjoghon  is  at  the  west.  His  shirt  is  invisible,  the 
dark  being  the  dark  of  the  body.  His  staff  is  colored 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

black  from  a  charred  plant.  Two  strips  of  beaver  skin 
tipped  with  six  quills  of  the  porcupine  are  attached  to 
the  right  of  the  throat.  The  four  colored  stars  on  the 
body  are  bead  ornaments.  The  top  of  the  staff  is  or 
namented  with  a  turkey's  tail.  Eagle  and  turkey 
plumes  are  alternately  attached  to  the  staff. 

The  Naaskiddi  are  north  and  south  of  the  painting. 
They  carry  staffs  of  lightning  ornamented  with  eagle 
plumes  and  sunbeams.  Their  bodies  are  nude  except 
the  loin  skirt.  The  hunch  upon  the  back  is  a  black 
cloud  and  the  three  groups  of  white  lines  indicate 
corn  and  other  seeds.  Five  eagle  plumes  are  attached 
to  the  cloud-back,  since  eagles  live  among  the  clouds. 
The  body  is  surrounded  by  sunlight.  The  lines  of  blue 
and  red  which  border  the  cloud-back  denote  sunbeams 
penetrating  storm  clouds.  The  black  circle  zig-zagged 
with  white  around  the  head  is  a  cloud  basket  filled  with 
corn  and  seeds  of  grass.  On  each  side  of  the  head  are 
five  feathers  of  the  red-shafted  flicker. 

The  Rainbow  goddess,  upon  which  these  gods  often 
travel,  partly  encircles  and  completes  the  picture. 

These  sand  pictures  are  drawn  upon  common  yel 
low  sand,  brought  in  blankets  and  laid  in  squares  about 
three  inches  thick  and  four  feet  in  diameter.  The  col 
ors  used  in  decoration  were  yellow,  red,  and  white,  se 
cured  from  sand  stones,  black  from  charcoal,  and  a 

138 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

grayish  blue  made  from  white  sand  and  charcoal  mixed 
with  a  very  small  quantity  of  yellow  and  red  sands. 

(From  eighth  annual  report  of  the  Bureau  of 
Ethnology,  abridged  from  description  of  James 
Stevenson.) 


139 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


THE  GUIDING  DUCK  AND  THE  LAKE 
OF  DEATH 

Zuni  (New  Mexico) 

NOW  K-yak-lu,  the  all-hearing  and  wise  of 
speech,  all  alone  had  been  journeying  afar  in 
the  North  Land  of  cold  and  white  loneliness. 
He  was  lost,  for  the  world  in  which  he  wandered  was 
buried  in  the  snow  which  lies  spread  there  forever.  So 
cold  he  was  that  his  face  became  wan  and  white  from 
the  frozen  mists  of  his  own  breath,  white  as  become  all 
creatures  who  dwell  there.  So  cold  at  night  and  dreary 
of  heart,  so  lost  by  day  and  blinded  by  the  light  was  he 
that  he  wept,  and  died  of  heart  and  became  transformed 
as  are  the  gods.  Yet  his  lips  called  continually  and  his 
voice  grew  shrill  and  dry-sounding,  like  the  voice  of 
far-flying  water-fowl.  As  he  cried,  wandering  blindly, 
the  water  birds  flocking  around  him  peered  curiously 
at  him,  calling  meanwhile  to  their  comrades.  But  wise 
though  he  was  of  all  speeches,  and  their  meanings  plain 
to  him,  yet  none  told  him  the  way  to  his  country  and 
people. 

Now  the  Duck  heard  his  cry  and  it  was  like  her  own. 

140 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

She  was  of  all  regions  the  traveller  and  searcher,  know 
ing  all  the  ways,  whether  above  or  below  the  waters, 
whether  in  the  north,  the  west,  the  south,  or  the  east, 
and  was  the  most  knowing  of  all  creatures.  Thus  the 
wisdom  of  the  one  understood  the  knowledge  of  the 
other. 

And  the  All-wise  cried  to  her,  "  The  mountains  are 
white  and  the  valleys;  all  plains  are  like  others  in 
whiteness,  and  even  the  light  of  our  Father  the  Sun, 
makes  all  ways  more  hidden  of  whiteness!  In  bright 
ness  my  eyes  see  but  darkness." 

The  Duck  answered: 

"  Think  no  longer  sad  thoughts.  Thou  hearest  all 
as  I  see  all.  Give  me  tinkling  shells  from  thy  girdle 
and  place  them  on  my  neck  and  in  my  beak.  I  may 
guide  thee  with  my  seeing  if  thou  hear  and  follow  my 
trail.  Well  I  know  the  way  to  thy  country.  Each 
year  I  lead  thither  the  wild  geese  and  the  cranes  who 
flee  there  as  winter  follows." 

So  the  All-wise  placed  his  talking  shells  on  the  neck 
of  the  Duck,  and  the  singing  shells  in  her  beak,  and 
though  painfully  and  lamely,  yet  he  followed  the  sound 
she  made  with  the  shells.  From  place  to  place  with 
swift  flight  she  sped,  then  awaiting  him,  ducking  her 
head  that  the  shells  might  call  loudly.  By  and  by  they 
came  to  the  country  of  thick  rains  and  mists  on  the 

141 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

borders  of  the  Snow  World,  and  passed  from  water  to 
water,  until  wider  water  lay  in  their  path.  In  vain  the 
Duck  called  and  jingled  the  shells  from  the  midst  of 
the  waters.  K-yak-lu  could  neither  swim  nor  fly  as 
could  the  Duck. 

Now  the  Rainbow-worm  was  near  in  that  land  of 
mists  and  waters  and  he  heard  the  sound  of  the  sacred 
shells. 

"  These  be  my  grandchildren,"  he  said,  and  called, 
"  Why  mourn  ye?  Give  me  plumes  of  the  spaces.  I 
will  bear  you  on  my  shoulders." 

Then  the  All-wise  took  two  of  the  lightest  plume- 
wands,  and  the  Duck  her  two  strong  feathers.  And  he 
fastened  them  together  and  breathed  on  them  while  the 
Rainbow-worm  drew  near.  The  Rainbow  unbent  him 
self  that  K-yak-lu  might  mount,  then  he  arched  himself 
high  among  the  clouds.  Like  an  arrow  he  straight 
ened  himself  forward,  and  followed  until  his  face 
looked  into  the  Lake  of  the  Ancients.  And  there  the 
All-wise  descended,  and  sat  there  alone,  in  the  plain 
beyond  the  mountains.  The  Duck  had  spread  her 
wings  in  flight  to  the  south  to  take  counsel  of  the  gods. 

Then  the  Duck,  even  as  the  gods  had  directed,  pre 
pared  a  litter  of  poles  and  reeds,  and  before  the  morn 
ing  came,  with  the  litter  they  went,  singing  a  quaint 

and  pleasant  song,  down  the  northern  plain.    And  when 

142 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

they  found  the  All-wise,  he  looked  upon  them  in  the 
starlight  and  wept.  But  the  father  of  the  gods  stood 
over  him  and  chanted  the  sad  dirge  rite.  Then 
K-yak-lu  sat  down  in  the  great  soft  litter  they  bore 
for  him. 

They  lifted  it  upon  their  shoulders,  bearing  it  lightly, 
singing  loudly  as  they  went,  to  the  shores  of  the  deep 
black  lake,  where  gleamed  from  the  middle  the  lights 
of  the  dead. 

Out  over  the  magic  ladder  of  rushes  and  canes  which 
reared  itself  over  the  water,  they  bore  him.  And 
K-yak-lu,  scattering  sacred  prayer  meal  before  him, 
stepped  down  the  way,  slowly,  like  a  blind  man.  No 
sooner  had  he  taken  four  steps  than  the  ladder  lowered 
into  the  deep.  And  the  All-wise  entered  the  council 
room  of  the  gods. 

The  gods  sent  out  their  runners,  to  summon  all  be 
ings,  and  called  in  dancers  for  the  Dance  of  Good. 
And  with  these  came  the  little  ones  who  had  sunk  be 
neath  the  waters,  well  and  beautiful  and  all  seemingly 
clad  in  cotton  mantles  and  precious  neck  jewels. 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


THE  BOY  WHO  BECAME  A  GOD 

Navajo  (New  Mexico) 

THE  Tolchini,  a  clan  of  the  Navajos,  lived  at 
Wind  Mountains.  One  of  them  used  to  take 
long  visits  into  the  country.  His  brothers 
thought  he  was  crazy.  The  first  time  on  his  return, 
he  brought  with  him  a  pine  bough;  the  second  time, 
corn.  Each  time  he  returned  he  brought  something 
new  and  had  a  strange  story  to  tell.  His  brothers  said : 
"  He  is  crazy.  He  does  not  know  what  he  is  talking 
about." 

Now  the  Tolchini  left  Wind  Mountains  and  went  to 
a  rocky  foothill  east  of  the  San  Mateo  Mountain.  They 
had  nothing  to  eat  but  seed  grass.  The  eldest  brother 
said,  "  Let  us  go  hunting,"  but  they  told  the  youngest 
brother  not  to  leave  camp.  But  five  days  and  five 
nights  passed,  and  there  was  no  word.  So  he  followed 
them. 

After  a  day's  travel  he  camped  near  a  canon,  in  a 
cavelike  place.  There  was  much  snow  but  no  water 
so  he  made  a  fire  and  heated  a  rock,  and  made  a  hole 

in  the  ground.    The  hot  rock  heated  the  snow  and  gave 

144 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 

him  water  to  drink.  Just  then  he  heard  a  tumult  over 
his  head,  like  people  passing.  He  went  out  to  see  what 
made  the  noise  and  saw  many  crows  crossing  back  and 
forth  over  the  canon.  This  was  the  home  of  the  crow, 
but  there  were  other  feathered  people  there,  and  the 
chaparral  cock.  He  saw  many  fires  made  by  the  crows 
on  each  side  of  the  canon.  Two  crows  flew  down  near 
him  and  the  youth  listened  to  hear  what  was  the 
matter. 

The  two  crows  cried  out,  "  Somebody  says.  Some 
body  says." 

The  youth  did  not  know  what  to  make  of  this. 

A  crow  on  the  opposite  side  called  out,  "  What  is 
the  matter?  Tell  us!  Tell  us!  What  is  wrong?  " 

The  first  two  cried  out,'  "  Two  of  us  got  killed.  We 
met  two  of  our  men  who  told  us." 

Then  they  told  the  crows  how  two  men  who  were 
out  hunting  killed  twelve  deer,  and  a  party  of  the  Crow 
People  went  to  the  deer  after  they  were  shot.  They 
said,  "  Two  of  us  who  went  after  the  blood  of  the  deer 
were  shot." 

The  crows  on  the  other  side  of  the  canon  called, 
"Which  men  got  killed?" 

"  The  chaparral  cock,  who  sat  on  the  horn  of  the 
deer,  and  the  crow  who  sat  on  its  backbone." 

The  others  called  out,  "  We  are  not  surprised  they 

i45 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

were  killed.  That  is  what  we  tell  you  all  the  time.  If 
you  go  after  dead  deer  you  must  expect  to  be  killed." 

"  We  will  not  think  of  them  longer,"  so  the  two 
crows  replied.  "  They  are  dead  and  gone.  We  are 
talking  of  things  of  long  ago." 

But  the  youth  sat  quietly  below  and  listened  to  ev 
erything  that  was  said. 

After  a  while  the  crows  on  the  other  side  of  the 
canon  made  a  great  noise  and  began  to  dance.  They 
had  many  songs  at  that  time.  The  youth  listened  all 
the  time.  After  the  dance  a  great  fire  was  made  and 
he  could  see  black  objects  moving,  but  he  could  not 
distinguish  any  people.  He  recognized  the  voice  of 
Hasjelti.  He  remembered  everything  in  his  heart.  He 
even  remembered  the  words  of  the  songs  that  contin 
ued  all  night.  He  remembered  every  word  of  every 
song.  He  said  to  himself,  "  I  will  listen  until  day 
light." 

The  Crow  People  did  not  remain  on  the  side  of  the 
canon  where  the  fires  were  first  built.  They  crossed 
and  recrossed  the  canon  in  their  dance.  They  danced 
back  and  forth  until  daylight.  Then  all  the  crows  and 
the  other  birds  flew  away  to  the  west.  All  that  was 
left  was  the  fires  and  the  smoke. 

Then  the  youth  started  for  his  brothers'  camp.    They 

saw  him  coming.    They  said,  "  He  will  have  lots  of 

146 


MYTHS   AND   LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

stories  to  tell.     He  will  say  he  saw  something  no  one 


ever  saw." 


But  the  brother-in-law  who  was  with  them  said, 
"  Let  him  alone.  When  he  comes  into  camp  he  will 
tell  us  all.  I  believe  these  things  do  happen  for  he 
could  not  make  up  these  things  all  the  time." 

Now  the  camp  was  surrounded  by  pinon  brush  and 
a  large  fire  was  burning  in  the  centre.  There  was 
much  meat  roasting  over  the  fire.  When  the  youth 
reached  the  camp,  he  raked  over  the  coals  and  said. 
"  I  feel  cold." 

Brother-in-law  replied,  "  It  is  cold.  When  people 
camp  together,  they  tell  stories  to  one  another  in  the 
morning.  We  have  told  ours,  now  you  tell  yours." 

The  youth  said,  "  Where  I  stopped  last  night  was 
the  worst  camp  I  ever  had."  The  brothers  paid  no 
attention  but  the  brother-in-law  listened. 

The  youth  said,  "  I  never  heard  such  a  noise."  Then 
he  told  his  story.  Brother-in-law  asked  what  kind  of 
people  made  the  noise.. 

The  youth  said,  "  I  do  not  know.  They  were  strange 
people  to  me,  but  they  danced  all  night  back  and  forth 
across  the  canon  and  I  heard  them  say  my  brothers 
killed  twelve  deer  and  afterwards  killed  two  of  their 
people  who  went  for  the  blood  of  the  deer.  I  heard 
them  say,  "  *  That  is  what  must  be  expected.  If  you 
go  to  such  places,  you  must  expect  to  be  killed.' ' 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

The  elder  brother  began  thinking.  He  said,  "  How 
many  deer  did  you  say  were  killed?  " 

"  Twelve." 

Elder  brother  said,  "  I  never  believed  you  before, 
but  this  story  I  do  believe.  How  do  you  find  out  all 
these  things?  What  is  the  matter  with  you  that  you 
know  them?  " 

The  boy  said,  "  I  do  not  know.  They  come  into 
my  mind  and  to  my  eyes." 

Then  they  started  homeward,  carrying  the  meat.  The 
youth  helped  them. 

As  they  were  descending  a  mesa,  they  sat  down  on 
the  edge  to  rest.  Far  down  the  mesa  were  four  moun 
tain  sheep.  The  brothers  told  the  youth  to  kill  one. 

The  youth  hid  in  the  sage  brush  and  when  the  sheep 
came  directly  toward  him,  he  aimed  his  arrow  at  them. 
But  his  arm  stiffened  and  became  dead.  The  sheep 
passed  by. 

He  headed  them  off  again  by  hiding  in  the  stalks  of 
a  large  yucca.  The  sheep  passed  within  five  steps  of 
him,  but  again  his  arm  stiffened  as  he  drew  the  bow. 

He  followed  the  sheep  and  got  ahead  of  them  and 
hid  behind  a  birch  tree  in  bloom.  He  had  his  bow 
ready,  but  as  they  neared  him  they  became  gods.  The 
first  was  Hasjelti,  the  second  was  Hostjoghon,  the  third 
was  Naaskiddi,  and  the  fourth  Hadatchishi.  Then  the 

youth  fell  senseless  to  the  ground. 

148 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

The  four  gods  stood  one  on  each  side  of  him,  each 
with  a  rattle.  They  traced  with  their  rattles  in  the 
sand  the  figure  of  a  man,  drawing  lines  at  his  head  and 
feet.  Then  the  youth  recovered  and  the  gods  again 
became  sheep.  They  said,  "  Why  did  you  try  to  shoot 
us?  You  see  you  are  one  of  us."  For  the  youth  had 
become  a  sheep. 

The  gods  said,  "  There  is  to  be  a  dance,  far  off  to 
the  north  beyond  the  Ute  Mountain.  We  want  you  to 
go  with  us.  We  will  dress  you  like  ourselves  and  teach 
you  to  dance.  Then  we  will  wander  over  the  world." 

Now  the  brothers  watched  from  the  top  of  the  mesa 
but  they  could  not  see  what  the  trouble  was.  They  saw 
the  youth  lying  on  the  ground,  but  when  they  reached 
the  place,  all  the  sheep  were  gone.  They  began  cry 
ing,  saying,  "  For  a  long  time  we  would  not  believe 
him,  and  now  he  has  gone  off  with  the  sheep." 

They  tried  to  head  off  the  sheep,  but  failed.  They 
said,  "  If  we  had  believed  him,  he  would  not  have 
gone  off  with  the  sheep.  But  perhaps  some  day  we 
will  see  him  again." 

At  the  dance,  the  five  sheep  found  seven  others.  This 
made  their  number  twelve.  They  journeyed  all  around 
the  world.  All  people  let  them  see  their  dances  and 
learn  their  songs.  Then  the  eleven  talked  together 

and  said, 

149 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

"  There  is  no  use  keeping  this  youth  with  us  longer. 
He  has  learned  everything.  He  may  as  well  go  back 
to  his  people  and  teach  them  to  do  as  we  do." 

So  the  youth  was  taught  to  have  twelve  in  the  dance, 
six  gods  and  six  goddesses,  with  Hasjelti  to  lead  them. 
He  was  told  to  have  his  people  make  masks  to  repre 
sent  the  gods. 

So  the  youth  returned  to  his  brothers,  carrying  with 
him  all  songs,  all  medicines,  and  clothing. 


150 


MYTHS   AND   LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


ORIGIN  OF  CLEAR  LAKE 

Patwin  (Sacramento  Valley,  Cal.) 

BEFORE  anything  was  created  at  all,  Old  Frog 
and   Old   Badger  lived   alone   together.     Old 
Badger  wanted  to  drink,  so  Old  Frog  gnawed 
into  a  tree,  drew  out  all  the  sap  and  put  it  in  a  hollow 
place.    Then  he  created  Little  Frogs  to  help  him,  and 
working  together  they  dug  out  the  lake. 

Then  Old  Frog  made  the  little  flat  whitefish.  Some 
of  them  lived  in  the  lake,  but  others  swam  down  Cache 
Creek,  and  turned  into  the  salmon,  pike,  and  sturgeon 
which  swim  in  the  Sacramento. 


MYTHS   AND   LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


THE  GREAT  FIRE 

Patwin  (Sacramento  Valley,  Cal.} 

E~>NG  ago  a  man  loved  two  women  and  wished  to 
marry  both  of  them.     But  the  women  were 
magpies  and  they  laughed  at  him.    Therefore 
the  man  went  to  the  north,  and  made  for  himself  a 
tule  boat.    Then  he  set  the  world  on  fire,  and  himself 
escaped  to  sea  in  his  boat. 

But  the  fire  burned  with  terrible  speed.  It  ate  its 
way  into  the  south.  It  licked  up  all  things  on  earth, 
men,  trees,  rocks,  animals,  water,  and  even  the  ground 
itself. 

Now  Old  Coyote  saw  the  burning  and  the  smoke 
from  his  place  far  in  the  south,  and  he  ran  with  all  his 
might  to  put  it  out.  He  put  two  little  boys  in  a  sack 
and  ran  north  like  the  wind.  He  took  honey-dew  into 
his  mouth,  chewed  it  up,  spat  on  the  fire,  and  so  put  it 
out.  Now  the  fire  was  out,  but  there  was  no  water  and 
Coyote  was  thirsty.  So  he  took  Indian  sugar  again, 
chewed  it  up,  dug  a  hole  in  the  bottom  of  the  creek, 
covered  up  the  sugar  in  it,  and  it  turned  to  water  and 
filled  the  creek.  So  the  earth  had  water  again. 

152 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

But  the  two  little  boys  cried  because  they  were  lone 
some,  for  there  was  nobody  left  on  earth.  Then  Coyote 
made  a  sweat  house,  and  split  a  number  of  sticks,  and 
laid  them  in  the  sweat  house  over  night.  In  the  morn 
ing  they  had  all  turned  into  men  and  women. 


MYTHS   AND   LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  RAVEN  AND  THE  MACAW 

(Totems  of  summer  and  winter) 

Zunl  (New  Mexico) 

THE  priest  who  was  named  Yanauluha  carried 
ever  in  his  hand  a  star!  which  now  in  the  day 
light  was  plumed  and  covered  with  feathers  — 
yellow,  blue-green,  red,  white,  black,  and  varied.  At 
tached  to  it  were  shells,  which  made  a  song-like  tinkle. 
The  people  when  they  saw  it  stretched  out  their  hands 
and  asked  many  questions. 

Then  the  priest  balanced  it  in  his  hand,  and  struck 
with  it  a  hard  place,  and  blew  upon  it.  Amid  the 
plumes  appeared  four  round  things  —  mere  eggs  they 
were.  Two  were  blue  like  the  sky  and  two  dun-red 
like  the  flesh  of  the  Earth-mother. 

Then  the  people  asked  many  questions. 

"  These,"  said  the  priests,  "  are  the  seed  of  living 
beings.  Choose  which  ye  will  follow.  From  two  eggs 
shall  come  beings  of  beautiful  plumage,  colored  like 
the  grass  and  fruits  of  summer.  Where  they  fly  and 
ye  follow,  shall  always  be  summer.  Without  toil,  fields 
of  food  shall  flourish.  And  from  the  other  two  eggs 
shall  come  evil  beings,  piebald,  with  white,  without 


CLIMBING  UP  THE  ACOMA  TRAIL 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

colors.  And  where  these  two  shall  fly  and  ye  shall  fol 
low,  winter  strives  with  summer.  Only  by  labor  shall 
the  fields  yield  fruit,  and  your  children  and  theirs  shall 
strive  for  the  fruits.  Which  do  ye  choose?" 

"  The  blue!  The  blue!  "  cried  the  people,  and  those 
who  were  strongest  carried  off  the  blue  eggs,  leaving 
the  red  eggs  to  those  who  waited.  They  laid  the  blue 
eggs  with  much  gentleness  in  soft  sand  on  the  sunny 
side  of  a  hill,  watching  day  by  day.  They  were  pre 
cious  of  color;  surely  they  would  be  the  precious  birds 
of  the  Summer-land.  Then  the  eggs  cracked  and  the 
birds  came  out,  with  open  eyes  and  pin  feathers  under 
their  skins. 

"  We  chose  wisely,"  said  the  people.  "  Yellow  and 
blue,  red  and  green,  are  their  dresses,  even  seen  through 
their  skins."  So  they  fed  them  freely  of  all  the  foods 
which  men  favor.  Thus  they  taught  them  to  eat  all 
desirable  food.  But  when  the  feathers  appeared,  they 
were  black  with  white  bandings.  They  were  ravens. 
And  they  flew  away  croaking  hoarse  laughs  and  mock 
ing  our  fathers. 

But  the  other  eggs  became  beautiful  macaws,  and 
were  wafted  by  a  toss  of  the  priest's  wand  to  the  far 
away  Summer-land. 

So  those  who  had  chosen  the  raven,  became  the  Ra 
ven  People.  They  were  the  Winter  People  and  they 

i55 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

were  many  and  strong.  But  those  who  had  chosen  the 
macaw,  became  the  Macaw  People.  They  were  the 
Summer  People,  and  few  in  number,  and  less  strong, 
but  they  were  wiser  because  they  were  more  deliberate. 
The  priest  Yanauluha,  being  wise,  became  their  father, 
even  as  the  Sun-father  is  among  the  little  moons  of  the 
sky.  He  and  his  sisters  were  the  ancestors  of  the  priest- 
keepers  of  things. 


156 


MYTHS   AND   LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


COYOTE  AND  THE  HARE 

Sia  (New  Mexico) 

ONE  day  Coyote  was  passing  about  when  he  saw 
Hare  sitting  before  his  house.  Coyote  thought, 
"  In  a  minute  I  will  catch  you,"  and  he  sprang 
and  caught  Hare. 

Hare  cried,  "  Man  Coyote,  do  not  eat  me.  Wait 
just  a  minute;  I  have  something  to  tell  you  —  some 
thing  you  will  be  glad  to  hear  —  something  you  must 
hear." 

"  Well,"  said  Coyote,  "  I  will  wait." 

"  Let  me  sit  at  the  entrance  of  my  house,"  said  Hare. 
"  Then  I  can  talk  to  you." 

Coyote  allowed  Hare  to  take  his  seat  at  the  entrance. 

Hare  said,  "What  are  you  thinking  of,  Coyote?" 

"  Nothing,"  said  Coyote. 

"  Listen,  then,"  said  Hare.  "  I  am  a  hare  and  I  am 
very  much  afraid  of  people.  When  they  come  carry 
ing  arrows,  I  am  afraid  of  them.  When  they  see  me 
they  aim  their  arrows  at  me  and  I  am  afraid,  and  oh ! 
how  I  tremble!" 

Hare  began  trembling  violently  until  he  saw  Coyote 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

a  little  off  his  guard,  then  he  began  to  run.  It  took 
Coyote  a  minute  to  think  and  then  he  ran  after  Hare, 
but  always  a  little  behind.  Hare  raced  away  and  soon 
entered  a  house,  just  in  time  to  escape  Coyote.  Coyote 
tried  to  enter  the  house  but  found  it  was  hard  stone. 
He  became  very  angry. 

Coyote  cried,  "  I  was  very  stupid!  Why  did  I  allow 
this  Hare  to  fool  me?  I  must  have  him.  But  this 
house  is  so  strong,  how  can  I  open  it?  " 

Coyote  began  to  work,  but  after  a  while  he  said  to 
himself,  "  The  stone  is  so  strong  I  cannot  open  it." 

Presently  Hare  called,  "  Man  Coyote,  how  are  you 
going  to  kill  me?" 

"  I  know  how,"  said  Coyote.  "  I  will  kill  you  with 
fire." 

"Where  is  the  wood?"  asked  Hare,  for  he  knew 
there  was  no  wood  at  his  house. 

"  I  will  bring  grass,"  said  Coyote,  "  and  set  fire  to  it. 
The  fire  will  enter  your  house  and  kill  you." 

"  Oh,"  said  Hare,  "  but  the  grass  is  mine.  It  is  my 
food;  it  will  not  kill  me.  It  is  my  friend.  The  grass 
will  not  kill  me." 

"  Then,"  said  Coyote,  "  I  will  bring  all  the  trees  of 
the  wood  and  set  fire  to  them." 

"  All  the  trees  know  me,"  said  Hare.  "  They  are 
my  friends.  They  will  not  kill  me.  They  are  my  food." 

158 


Photo  by  Charles  Albertson 

PINON  TREE  IN  THE  GRAND   CANON 


Putnam  rf  Valentine 


SAN  XAVIER  MISSION,  TUCSON,  ARIZONA 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

Coyote  thought  a  minute.  Then  he  said,  "  I  will 
bring  the  gum  of  the  pifion  and  set  fire  to  that." 

Hare  said,  "  Now  I  am  afraid.  I  do  not  eat  that. 
It  is  not  my  friend." 

Coyote  rejoiced  that  he  had  thought  of  a  plan  for 
getting  the  hare.  He  hurried  and  brought  all  the  gum 
he  could  carry  and  placed  it  at  the  door  of  Hare's 
house  and  set  fire  to  it.  In  a  short  time  the  gum  boiled 
like  hot  grease,  and  Hare  cried, 

"  Now  I  know  I  shall  die!  What  shall  I  do?  "  Yet 
all  the  time  he  knew  what  he  would  do. 

But  Coyote  was  glad  Hare  was  afraid.  After  a 
while  Hare  called,  "  The  fire  is  entering  my  house," 
and  Coyote  answered,  "Blow  it  out!" 

But  Coyote  drew  nearer  and  blew  with  all  his  might 
to  blow  the.  flame  into  Hare's  house 

Hare  cried,  "  You  are  so  close  you  are  blowing  the 
fire  on  me  and  I  will  soon  be  burned." 

Coyote  was  so  happy  that  he  drew  closer  and  blew 
harder,  and  drew  still  closer  so  that  his  face  was  very 
close  to  Hare's  face.  Then  Hare  suddenly  threw  the 
boiling  gum  into  Coyote's  face  and  escaped  from  his 
house. 

It  took  Coyote  a  long  time  to  remove  the  gum  from 
his  face,  and  he  felt  very  sorrowful.  He  said,  "  I  am 
very,  very  stupid." 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


COYOTE  AND  THE  QUAILS 

Pima  (Arizona) 

ONCE  upon  a  time,  long  ago,  Coyote  was  sleep 
ing  so  soundly  that  a  covey  of  quails  came  along 
and  cut  pieces  of  fat  meat  out  of  his  flesh  with 
out  arousing  him.  Then  they  went  on.  After  they 
had  camped  for  the  evening,  and  were  cooking  the 
meat,  Coyote  came  up  the  trail. 

Coyote  said,  "Where  did  you  get  that  nice,  fat 
meat?  Give  me  some." 

Quails  gave  him  all  he  wanted.  Then  he  went  far 
ther  up  the  trail.  After  he  had  gone  a  little  way, 
Quails  called  to  him, 

"  Coyote,  you  were  eating  your  own  flesh." 

Coyote  said,  "  What  did  you  say?  " 

Quails  said,  "  Oh,  nothing.  We  heard  something 
calling  behind  the  mountains." 

Soon  the  quails  called  again :    "  Coyote,  you  ate  your 


own  meat." 


<  What  did  you  say?  " 
"  Oh,  nothing.     We  heard  somebody  pounding  his 

grinding-stone." 

160 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

So  Coyote  went  on.  But  at  last  he  began  to  feel 
where  he  had  been  cut.  Then  he  knew  what  the  quails 
meant.  He  turned  back  down  the  trail  and  told  Quails 
he  would  eat  them  up.  He  began  to  chase  them.  The 
quails  flew  above  ground  and  Coyote  ran  about  under 
them.  At  last  they  got  tired,  but  Coyote  did  not  be 
cause  he  was  so  angry. 

By  and  by  Quails  came  to  a  hole,  and  one  of  the 
keenest-witted  picked  up  a  piece  of  prickly  cholla  cac 
tus  and  pushed  it  into  the  hole;  then  they  all  ran  in 
after  it.  But  Coyote  dug  out  the  hole  and  reached 
them.  When  he  came  to  the  first  quail  he  said, 

"  Was  it  you  who  told  me  I  ate  my  own  flesh?  " 

Quail  said,  "  No." 

So  Coyote  let  him  go  and  he  flew  away.  When  Coy 
ote  came  to  the  second  quail,  he  asked  the  same  ques 
tion.  Quail  said,  "  No,"  and  then  flew  away.  So 
Coyote  asked  every  quail,  until  the  last  quail  was  gone, 
and  then  he  came  to  the  cactus  branch.  Now  the 
prickly  cactus  branch  was  so  covered  with  feathers  that 
it  looked  just  like  a  quail.  Coyote  asked  it  the  same 
question,  but  the  cactus  branch  did  not  answer.  Then 
Coyote  said, 

"  I  know  it  was  you  because  you  do  not  answer." 

So   Coyote  bit  very   hard   into   the   hard,   prickly 

branch,  and  it  killed  him. 

161 


MYTHS   AND   LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


COYOTE  AND  THE  FAWNS 

Sia  (New  Mexico) 

ANOTHER  day  when  he  was  travelling  around, 
Coyote  met  a  deer  with  two  fawns.  The  fawns 
were  beautifully  spotted,  and  he  said  to  the  deer, 

"  How  did  you  paint  your  children?  They  are  so 
beautiful!" 

Deer  replied,  "  I  painted  them  with  fire  from  the 
cedar." 

"  And  how  did  you  do  the  work?  "  asked  Coyote. 

"  I  put  my  children  into  a  cave  and  built  a  fire  of 
cedar  in  front  of  it.  Every  time  a  spark  flew  from  the 
fire  it  struck  my  children,  making  a  beautiful  spot." 

"  Oh,"  said  Coyote,  "  I  will  do  the  same  thing. 
Then  I  will  make  my  children  beautiful." 

He  hurried  to  his  house  and  put  his  children  in  a 
cave.  Then  he  built  a  fire  of  cedar  in  front  of  it  and 
stood  off  to  watch  the  fire.  But  the  children  cried  be 
cause  the  fire  was  very  hot.  Coyote  kept  calling  to 
them  not  to  cry  because  they  would  be  beautiful  like 
the  deer.  After  a  time  the  crying  ceased  and  Coyote 

was  pleased.    But  when  the  fire  died  down,  he  found 

162 


MYTHS   AND   LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

they  were  burned  to  death.     Coyote  expected  to  find 
them  beautiful,  but  instead  they  were  dead. 

Then  he  was  enraged  with  the  deer  and  ran  away  to 
hunt  her,  but  he  could  not  find  her  anywhere.  He  was 
much  distressed  to  think  the  deer  had  fooled  him  so 
easily. 


163 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


HOW  THE  BLUEBIRD  GOT  ITS  COLOR 

Pima  (Arizona) 

ALONG  time  ago,  the  bluebird  was  a  very  ugly 
color.    But  Bluebird  knew  of  a  lake  where  no 
river  flowed  in  or  out,  and  he  bathed  in  this  four 
times  every  morning  for  four  mornings.    Every  morn 
ing  he  sang  a  magic  song: 

"  There  's  a  blue  water.     It  lies  there. 
I  went  in. 
I  am  all  blue." 

On  the  fourth  morning  Bluebird  shed  all  his  feath 
ers  and  came  out  of  the  lake  just  in  his  skin.  But  the 
next  morning  when  he  came  out  of  the  lake  he  was  cov 
ered  with  blue  feathers. 

Now  all  this  while  Coyote  had  been  watching  Blue 
bird.  He  wanted  to  jump  in  and  get  him  to  eat,  but 
he  was  afraid  of  the  water.  But  on  that  last  morning 
Coyote  said, 

"  How  is  it  you  have  lost  all  your  ugly  color,  and 
now  you  are  blue  and  gay  and  beautiful?  You  are 
more  beautiful  than  anything  that  flies  in  the  air.  I 
want  to  be  blue,  too."  Now  Coyote  at  that  time  was 

a  bright  green. 

164 


f.    - 


Courtesy  of  Smithsonian  Institution 

VASES  WITH  FIGURES  OF  BUTTERFLIES,  FROM  SIKYATKI 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

"  I  only  went  in  four  times  on  four  mornings,"  said 
Bluebird.  He  taught  Coyote  the  magic  song,  and  he 
went  in  four  times,  and  the  fifth  time  he  came  out  as 
blue  as  the  little  bird. 

Then  Coyote  was  very,  very  proud  because  he  was  a 
blue  coyote.  He  was  so  proud  that  as  he  walked  along 
he  looked  around  on  every  side  to  see  if  anybody  was 
looking  at  him  now  that  he  was  a  blue  coyote  and  so 
beautiful.  He  looked  to  see  if  his  shadow  was  blue, 
too.  But  Coyote  was  so  busy  watching  to  see  if  others 
were  noticing  him  that  he  did  not  watch  the  trail.  By 
and  by  he  ran  into  a  stump  so  hard  that  it  threw  him 
down  in  the  dirt  and  he  was  covered  with  dust  all  over. 
You  may  know  this  is  true  because  even  to-day  coyotes 
are  the  color  of  dirt. 


165 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


COYOTE'S  EYES 

Pima  (Arizona) 

WHEN  Coyote  was  travelling  about  one  day,  he 
saw  a  small  bird.  The  bird  was  hopping 
about  contentedly  and  Coyote  thought, 

"  What  a  beautiful  bird.  It  moves  about  so  grace 
fully." 

He  drew  nearer  to  the  bird  and  asked,  "  What  beau 
tiful  things  are  you  working  with?  "  but  the  bird  could 
not  understand  Coyote.  After  a  while  the  bird  took  out 
his  two  eyes  and  threw  them  straight  up  into  the  air, 
like  two  stones.  It  looked  upward  but  had  no  eyes. 
Then  the  bird  said, 

"  Come,  my  eyes.  Come  quickly,  down  into  my 
head."  The  eyes  fell  down  into  the  bird's  head,  just 
where  they  belonged,  but  were  much  brighter  than 
before. 

Coyote  thought  he  could  brighten  his  eyes.  He  asked 
the  bird  to  take  out  his  eyes.  The  bird  took  out  Coy 
ote's  eyes,  held  them  for  a  moment  in  his  hands,  and 
threw  them  straight  up  into  the  air.  Coyote  looked  up 

and  called, 

166 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

"  Come  back,  my  eyes.  Come  quickly."  They  at 
once  fell  back  into  his  head  and  were  much  brighter 
than  before.  Coyote  wanted  to  try  it  again,  but  the 
bird  did  not  wish  to.  But  Coyote  persisted.  Then  the 
bird  said, 

"  Why  should  I  work  for  you,  Coyote?  No,  I  will 
work  no  more  for  you."  But  Coyote  still  persisted,  and 
the  bird  took  out  his  eyes  and  threw  them  up.  Coyote 
cried, 

"  Come,  my  eyes,  come  back  to  me." 

But  his  eyes  continued  to  rise  into  the  air,  and  the 
bird  began  to  go  away.  Coyote  began  to  weep.  But 
the  bird  was  annoyed,  and  called  back, 

"Go  away  now.  I  am  tired  of  you.  Go  away  and 
get  other  eyes." 

But  Coyote  refused  to  go  and  entreated  the  bird  to 
find  eyes  for  him.  At  last  the  bird  gathered  gum  from 
a  pinon  tree  and  rolled  it  between  his  hands  and  put 
it  in  Coyote's  eye  holes,  so  that  he  could  see.  But  his 
eyes  had  been  black  and  very  bright.  His  new  eyes 
were  yellow. 

"  Now,"  said  the  bird,  "  go  away.  You  cannot  stay 
here  any  longer." 


167 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


COYOTE  AND  THE  TORTILLAS 

Pima  (Arizona] 

ONCE  upon  a  time,  a  river  rose  very  high  and 
spread  all  over  the  land.  An  Indian  woman 
was  going  along  the  trail  by  the  river  side  with 
a  basket  of  tortillas  on  her  head,  but  she  was  wading 
in  water  up  to  her  waist.  Now  Coyote  was  afraid  of 
the  water,  so  he  had  climbed  into  a  cottonwood 
tree.  When  the  woman  came  up  the  trail,  Coyote 
called, 

"  Oh,  come  to  this  tree  and  give  me  some  of  those 
nice  tortillas." 

The  woman  said,  "No.  I  can't  give  them  to  you; 
they  are  for  somebody  else." 

"  If  you  do  not  come  here  I  will  shoot  you,"  said 
Coyote,  and  the  woman  really  thought  he  had  a  bow. 
So  she  came  to  the  tree  and  said,  "  You  must  come  down 
and  get  them.  I  can't  climb  trees." 

Coyote  came  down  as  far  as  he  dared,  but  he  was 
afraid  of  the  deep  water.  The  woman  laughed  at  him. 

She  said,  "  Just  see  how  shallow  it  is.    It 's  only  up  to 

168 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

my  ankles."  But  she  was  standing  on  a  big  stump. 
Coyote  looked  at  the  water.  It  seemed  shallow  and 
safe  enough,  so  he  jumped.  But  the  water  was  deep 
and  he  was  drowned.  Then  the  woman  went  on  up  the 
trail. 


169 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


COYOTE  AS  A  HUNTER 

Sia  (New  Mexico] 

COYOTE  travelled  a  long  distance  and  in  the 
middle  of  the  day  it  was  very  hot.  He  sat 
down  and  rested,  and  thought,  as  he  looked  up 
to  Tinia,  "  How  I  wish  the  Cloud  People  would 
freshen  my  path  and  make  it  cool." 

In  just  a  little  while  the  Cloud  People  gathered  over 
the  trail  Coyote  was  following  and  he  was  glad  that 
his  path  was  to  be  cool  and  shady. 

After  he  travelled  some  distance  further,  he  sat  down 
again  and  looking  upward  said,  "  I  wish  the  Cloud 
People  would  send  rain.  My  road  would  be  cooler 
and  fresher."  In  a  little  while  a  shower  came  and 
Coyote  was  contented. 

But  in  a  short  time  he  again  sat  down  and  wished 
that  the  road  could  be  very  moist,  that  it  would  be 
fresh  to  his  feet,  and  almost  immediately  the  trail  was 
as  wet  as  though  a  river  had  passed  over  it.  Again 
Coyote  was  contented. 

But  after  a  while  he  took  his  seat  again.  He  said 
to  himself,  "  I  guess  I  will  talk  again  to  the  Cloud 

People."    Then  he  looked  up  and  said  to  them, 

170 


MYTHS   AND   LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

"  I  wish  for  water  over  my  road  —  water  to  my  el 
bows,  that  I  may  travel  on  my  hands  and  feet  in  the 
cool  waters;  then  I  shall  be  refreshed  and  happy." 

In  a  short  time  his  road  was  covered  with  water,  and 
he  moved  on.  But  again  he  wished  for  something 
more,  and  said  to  the  Cloud  People, 

"  I  wish  much  for  water  to  my  shoulders.  Then  I 
will  be  happy  and  contented." 

In  a  moment  the  waters  arose  as  he  wished,  yet  after 
a  while  he  looked  up  and  said,  "  If  you  will  only  give 
me  water  so  high  that  my  eyes,  nose,  mouth  and  ears 
are  above  it,  I  will  be  happy.  Then  indeed  my  road  will 
be  cool." 

But  even  this  did  not  satisfy  him,  and  after  travelling 
a  while  longer  he  implored  the  Cloud  People  to  give 
him  a  river  that  he  might  float  over  the  trail,  and  im 
mediately  a  river  appeared  and  Coyote  floated  down 
stream.  Now  he  had  been  high  in  the  mountains  and 
wished  to  go  to  Hare  Land. 

After  floating  a  long  distance,  he  at  last  came  to 
Hare  Land  and  saw  many  Hares  a  little  distance  off, 
on  both  sides  of  the  river.  Coyote  lay  down  in  the  mud 
as  though  he  were  dead  and  listened.  Soon  a  woman 
ka-wate  (mephitis)  came  along  with  a  vase  and  a  gourd 
for  water. 

She  said,  "  Here  is  a  dead  coyote.  Where  did  he 

171 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

come  from?  I  guess  from  the  mountains  above.  I 
guess  he  fell  into  the  water  and  died." 

Coyote  looked  up  and  said,  "  Come  here,  woman." 

She  said,  "  What  do  you  want?  " 

Coyote  said,  "  I  know  the  Hares  and  other  small 
animals  well.  In  a  little  while  they  will  come  here 
and  think  I  am  dead  and  be  happy.  What  do  you 
think  about  it?" 

Ka-wate  said,  "  I  have  no  thoughts  at  all." 

So  Coyote  explained  his  plan.     .     .     . 

So  Coyote  lay  as  dead,  and  all  the  Hares  and  small 
animals  saw  him  lying  in  the  river,  and  rejoiced  that 
he  was  dead.  The  Hares  decided  to  go  in  a  body  and 
see  the  dead  Coyote.  Rejoicing  over  his  death,  they 
struck  him  with  their  hands  and  kicked  him.  There 
were  crowds  of  Hares  and  they  decided  to  have  a  great 
dance.  Now  and  then  a  dancing  Hare  would  stamp 
upon  Coyote  who  lay  as  if  dead.  During  the  dance 
the  Hares  clapped  their  hands  over  their  mouth  and 
gave  a  whoop  like  a  war-whoop. 

Then  Coyote  rose  quickly  and  took  two  clubs  which 
the  ka-wate  had  given  him,  and  together  they  killed  all 
of  the  Hares.  There  was  a  great  number  and  they  were 
piled  up  like  stones. 

Coyote  said,  "Where  shall  I  find  fire  to  cook  the 

hares?    Ah,"  he  said,  pointing  across  to  a  high  rock, 

172 


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E 
FRONT 


Courtesy  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution 


SIA  MASKS 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

"  that  rock  gives  good  shade  and  it  is  cool.  I  will 
find  fire  and  cook  my  meat  in  the  shade  of  that  rock." 

So  they  carried  all  the  hares  to  that  point  and  Coy 
ote  made  a  large  fire  and  threw  them  into  it.  When 
he  had  done  this  he  was  very  warm  and  tired.  He 
lay  down  close  to  the  rock  in  the  shade. 

After  a  while  he  said  to  Ka-wate,  "  We  will  run  a 
race.  The  one  who  wins  will  have  all  the  hares." 

She  said,  "  How  could  I  beat  you?  Your  feet  are 
so  much  larger  than  mine." 

Coyote  said,  "  I  will  allow  you  the  start  of  me."  He 
made  a  torch  of  the  inner  shreds  of  cedar  bark  and 
wrapped  it  with  yucca  thread  and  lighted  it.  Then 
he  tied  this  torch  to  the  end  of  his  tail.  He  did  this 
to  see  that  the  ka-wate  did  not  escape  him. 

Ka-wate  started  first,  but  when  out  of  sight  of  Coy- 
ots,  she  slipped  into  the  house  of  Badger.  Then  Coyote 
started  with  the  fire  attached  to  his  tail.  Wherever  he 
touched  the  grass,  he  set  fire  to  it.  But  Ka-wate  hur 
ried  back  to  the  rock,  carried  all  the  hares  on  top  ex 
cept  four  tiny  ones,  and  then  climbed  up  on  the  rock. 

Coyote  was  surprised  not  to  overtake  her.  He  said, 
"  She  must  be  very  quick.  How  could  she  run  so 
fast?  "  Then  he  returned  to  the  rock,  but  did  not  see 
her. 

He  was  tired  and  sat  down  in  the  shade  of  the  rock. 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

"Why  doesn't  she  come?"  he  said.  "Perhaps  she 
will  not  come  before  night,  her  feet  are  so  small." 

Ka-wate  sat  on  the  rock  above  and  heard  all  he  said. 
She  watched  him  take  a  stick  and  look  into  the  mound 
for  the  hares.  He  pulled  out  a  small  one  which  he 
threw  away.  But  the  second  was  smaller  than  the  first. 
Then  a  third  and  a  fourth,  each  tiny,  and  all  he  threw 
away.  "  I  do  not  care  for  the  smaller  ones,"  he  said. 
"  There  are  so  many  here,  I  will  not  eat  the  little 
ones."  But  he  hunted  and  hunted  in  the  mound  of 
ashes  for  the  hares.  All  were  gone. 

He  said,  "  That  woman  has  robbed  me."  Then  he 
picked  up  the  four  little  ones  and  ate  them.  He  looked 
about  for  Ka-wate  but  did  not  see  her  because  he  did 
not  look  up.  Then  as  he  was  tired  and  lay  down  to 
rest,  he  looked  up  and  saw  her,  with  the  cooked  hares 
piled  beside  her. 

Coyote  was  hungry.  He  begged  her  to  throw  one 
down.  She  threw  a  very  small  one.  Then  Coyote  be 
came  angry.  And  he  was  still  more  angry  because  he 
could  not  climb  the  rock.  She  had  gone  where  he 
could  not  go. 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


HOW  THE  RATTLESNAKE  LEARNED  TO 

BITE 

Pima  (Arizona) 

AFTER  people  and  the  animals  were  created,  they 
all  lived  together.     Rattlesnake  was  there,  and 
was  called  Soft  Child  because  he  was  so  soft  in 
his  motions.    The  people  liked  to  hear  him  rattle  and 
little  rest  did  he  get  because  they  continually  poked 
and  scratched  him  so  that  he  would  shake  the  rattles 
in  his  tail.    At  last  Rattlesnake  went  to  Elder  Brother 
to  ask  help.    Elder  Brother  pulled  a  hair  from  his  own 
lip,  cut  it  in  short  pieces,  and  made  it  into  teeth  for 
Soft  Child. 

"  If  any  one  bothers  you,"  he  said,  "  bite  him." 
That  very  evening  Ta-api,   Rabbit,  came  to   Soft 
Child  as  he  had  done  before  and  scratched  him.    Soft 
Child  raised  his  head  and  bit  Rabbit.    Rabbit  was  an 
gry  and  scratched  again.     Soft  Child  bit  him  again. 
Then  Rabbit  ran  about  saying  that  Soft  Child  was 
angry  and  had  bitten  him.    Then  he  went  to  Rattlesnake 
again,  and  twice  more  he  was  bitten. 
The  bites  made  Rabbit  very  sick.     He  asked  for  a 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

bed  of  cool  sea  sand.  Coyote  was  sent  to  the  sea  for 
the  cool,  damp  sand.  Then  Rabbit  asked  for  the  shade 
of  bushes  that  he  might  feel  the  cool  breeze.  But  at 
last  Rabbit  died.  He  was  the  first  creature  which  had 
died  in  this  new  world. 

Then  the  people  were  troubled  because  they  did  not 
know  what  to  do  with  the  body  of  Rabbit.  One  said, 
"  If  we  bury  him,  Coyote  will  surely  dig  him  up." 

Another  said,  "  If  we  hide  him,  Coyote  will  surely 
find  him." 

And  another  said,  "  If  we  put  him  in  a  tree,  Coyote 
will  surely  climb  up." 

So  they  decided  to  burn  the  body  of  Rabbit,  and  yet 
there  was  no  fire  on  earth. 

Blue  Fly  said,  "  Go  to  Sun  and  get  some  of  the  fire 
which  he  keeps  in  his  house,"  So  Coyote  scampered 
away,  but  he  was  sure  the  people  were  trying  to  get 
rid  of  him  so  he  kept  looking  back. 

Then  Blue  Fly  made  the  first  fire  drill.  Taking  a 
stick  like  an  arrow  he  twirled  it  in  his  hands,  letting 
the  lower  end  rest  on  a  flat  stick  that  lay  on  the  ground. 
Soon  smoke  began  to  arise,  and  then  fire  came.  The 
people  gathered  fuel  and  began  their  duty. 

But  Coyote,  looking  back,  saw  fire  ascending.  He 
turned  and  ran  back  as  fast  as  he  could  go.  When  the 

people  saw  him  coming,  they  formed  a  ring,  but  he 

176 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

raced  around  the  circle  until  he  saw  two  short  men 
standing  together.  He  jumped  over  them,  and  seized 
the  heart  of  Rabbit.  But  he  burned  his  mouth  doing 
it,  and  it  is  black  to  this  day. 


177 


MYTHS   AND   LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


COYOTE  AND  THE  RATTLESNAKE 

Sia  (New  Mexico) 

COYOTE'S    house   was   not   far    from    Rattle 
snake's  home.    One  morning  when  they  were 
out  walking  together,  Coyote  said  to  Rattle 
snake, 

"  To-morrow  come  to  my  house." 
In  the  morning  Rattlesnake  went  to  Coyote's  house. 
He  moved  slowly  along  the  floor,  shaking  his  rattle. 
Coyote  sat  at  one  side,  very  much  frightened.     The 
movements  of  the  snake  and  the  rattle  frightened  him. 
Coyote  had  a  pot  of  rabbit  meat  on  the  fire,  which  he 
placed  in  front  of  the  snake,  saying, 
"  Companion,  eat." 

"  I  will  not  eat  your  meat.    I  do  not  understand  your 
food,"  said  Rattlesnake. 
"  What  food  do  you  eat?  " 
"  I  eat  the  yellow  flowers  of  the  corn." 
Coyote  at  once  began  to  search  for  the  yellow  corn 
flowers.    When  he  found  some,  Rattlesnake  said, 
"  Put  some  on  top  of  my  head  so  that  I  may  eat  it." 
Coyote  stood  as  far  of!  as  he  could  and  placed  the 
pollen  on  the  snake's  head. 

178 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

The  snake  said,  "  Come  nearer  and  put  enough  on 
my  head  so  that  I  may  find  it." 

Coyote  was  very  much  afraid,  but  after  a  while  he 
came  nearer  and  did  as  he  was  told. 

Then  the  snake  went  away,  saying, 

"  Companion,  to-morrow  you  come  to  my  house." 

"All    right,"    said    Coyote.      "To-morrow    I   will 


come." 


Coyote  sat  down  and  thought  about  the  morrow.  He 
thought  a  good  deal  about  what  the  snake  might  do. 
So  he  made  a  small  rattle  by  placing  tiny  pebbles  in 
a  gourd  and  fastened  it  to  the  end  of  his  tail.  He  shook 
it  a  while  and  was  much  pleased  with  it. 

The  next  morning  he  started  for  the  snake's  house. 
He  shook  the  rattle  on  the  end  of  his  tail  and  smiled, 
and  said  to  himself, 

"  This  is  good.  When  I  go  into  Rattlesnake's  house, 
he  will  be  very  much  afraid  of  me." 

Coyote  did  not  walk  into  Snake's  house,  but  moved 
like  a  snake.  But  Coyote  could  not  shake  his  rattle  as 
the  snake  shook  his.  He  had  to  hold  it  in  his  hand. 
But  when  he  shook  his  rattle,  the  snake  seemed  much 
afraid,  and  said, 

"  Companion,  I  am  afraid  of  you." 

Now  Rattlesnake  had  a  stew  of  rats  on  the  fire,  and 

he  placed  some  before  Coyote.    But  Coyote  said, 

179 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

"  I  do  not  understand  your  food.  I  cannot  eat  it 
because  I  do  not  understand  it." 

Rattlesnake  insisted  upon  his  eating,  but  Coyote  re 
fused.  He  said, 

"  If  you  put  some  of  the  flower  of  the  corn  on  my 
head,  I  will  eat.  I  understand  that  food." 

The  snake  took  some  corn  pollen,  but  he  pretended 
to  be  afraid  of  Coyote  and  stood  off  some  distance. 
Coyote  said, 

"  Come  nearer  and  place  it  on  top  my  head." 

Snake  replied,  "  I  am  afraid  of  you." 

Coyote  said,  "  Come  nearer.    I  am  not  bad." 

Then  the  snake  came  closer  and  put  the  pollen  on 
top  of  Coyote's  head. 

But  Coyote  did  not  have  the  long  tongue  of  the  snake 
and  he  could  not  get  the  pollen  off  the  top  of  his  head. 
He  put  out  his  tongue  first  on  one  side  of  his  nose  and 
then  on  the  other,  but  he  could  only  reach  to  the  side 
of  his  nose.  His  efforts  made  the  snake  laugh,  but  the 
snake  put  his  hand  over  his  mouth  so  Coyote  should 
not  see  him  laugh.  Really,  the  snake  hid  his  head  in 
his  body. 

At  last  Coyote  went  home.  As  he  left  the  snake's 
house,  he  held  his  tail  in  his  hand  and  shook  the  rattle. 

Snake  cried,  "Oh,  companion!     I  am  so  afraid  of 

you! "  but  really  the  snake  shook  with  laughter. 

180 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

When  Coyote  reached  his  home  he  said  to  himself, 
"  I  was  such  a  fool.     Rattlesnake  had  much  food  to 
eat  and  I  would  not  take  it.    Now  I  am  very  hungry." 
Then  he  went  out  in  search  of  food. 


181 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  SAGUARO  AND  PALO 
VERDE  CACTI 

Plma  (Arizona) 

ONCE  upon  a  time  an  old  Indian  woman  had  two 
grandchildren.  Every  day  she  ground  wheat 
and  corn  between  the  grinding  stones  to  make 
porridge  for  them.  One  day  as  she  put  the  water-olla 
on  the  fire  outside  the  house  to  heat  the  water,  she  told 
the  children  not  to  quarrel  because  they  might  upset 
the  olla.  But  the  children  began  to  quarrel.  They  up 
set  the  olla  and  spilled  the  water  and  their  grandmother 
spanked  them. 

Then  the  children  were  angry  and  ran  away.  They 
ran  far  away  over  the  mountains.  The  grandmother 
heard  them  whistling  and  she  ran  after  them  and  fol 
lowed  them  from  place  to  place,  but  she  could  not 
catch  up  with  them. 

At  last  the  older  boy  said,  "  I  will  turn  into  a  sa- 
guaro,  so  that  I  shall  live  forever  and  bear  fruit  every 


summer." 


The  younger  said,  "  Then  I  will  turn  into  a  palo 

verde  and  stand  there  forever.    These  mountains  are 

182 


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X 

o 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

so  bare  and  have  nothing  on  them  but  rocks,  I  will 
make  them  green." 

The  old  woman  heard  the  cactus  whistling  and  rec 
ognized  the  voice  of  her  grandson.  So  she  went  up  to 
it  and  tried  to  take  the  prickly  thing  into  her  arms,  but 
the  thorns  killed  her. 

That  is  how  the  saguaro  and  the  palo  verde  came 
to  be  on  the  mountains  and  the  desert. 


183 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


THE  THIRSTY  QUAILS 

Pima  (Arizona) 

A  QUAIL  once  had  more  than  twenty  children, 
and  with  them  she  wandered  over  the  whole 
country  in  search  of  water  and  could  not  find 
it.    It  was  very  hot  and  they  were  all  crying,  "  Where 
can  we  get  some  water?    Where  can  we  get  some  wa 
ter?  "  but  for  a  long  time  they  could  find  none. 

At  last,  way  in  the  north,  under  a  mesquite  tree,  the 
mother  quail  saw  a  pond  of  water,  but  it  was  very 
muddy  and  not  fit  to  drink.  But  the  little  quails  had 
been  wandering  so  many  days  and  were  so  tired  they 
stopped  under  the  shade  of  the  mesquite  tree,  and  by 
and  by,  one  by  one,  they  went  down  to  the  water  and 
drank  it.  But  the  water  was  so  bad  they  all  died. 


184 


MYTHS   AND   LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


THE  BOY  AND  THE  BEAST 

Pima  (Arizona) 

ONCE  an  old  woman  lived  with  her  daughter 
and  son-in-law  and  their  little  boy.  They  were 
following  the  trail  of  the  Apache  Indians. 
Now  whenever  a  Pima  Indian  sees  the  trail  of  an 
Apache  he  draws  a  ring  around  it;  then  he  can  catch 
him  sooner.  And  these  Pimas  drew  circles  around  the 
trail  of  the  Apaches  they  were  following,  but  one  night 
when  they  were  asleep,  the  Apaches  came  down  upon 
them.  They  took  the  man  and  younger  woman  by  the 
hair  and  shook  them  out  of  their  skins,  just  as  one  would 
shake  corn  out  of  a  sack.  So  the  boy  and  the  old 
woman  were  left  alone. 

Now  these  two  had  to  live  on  berries  and  anything 
they  could  find,  and  they  wandered  from  place  to  place. 
In  one  place  a  strange  beast,  big  enough  to  swallow 
people,  camped  in  the  bushes  near  them.  The  grand 
mother  told  the  boy  not  to  go  near  these  bushes.  But 
the  boy  took  some  sharp  stones  in  his  hands,  and  went 
toward  them.  As  he  came  near,  the  great  monster  be 
gan  to  breathe.  He  began  to  suck  in  his  breath  and 

185 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

he  sucked  the  boy  right  into  his  stomach.  But  with 
his  sharp  stones  the  boy  began  to  cut  the  beast,  so  that 
he  died.  Then  the  boy  made  a  hole  large  enough  to 
climb  out  of. 

When  his  grandmother  came  to  look  for  him,  the 
boy  met  her  and  said,  "  I  have  killed  that  monster." 

The  grandmother  said,  "  Oh,  no.  Such  a  little  boy 
as  you  are  to  kill  such  a  great  monster! " 

The  boy  said,  "  But  I  was  inside  of  him.  Just  look 
at  the  stones  I  cut  him  with." 

Then  the  grandmother  went  softly  up  to  the  bushes, 
and  looked  at  the  monster.  It  was  full  of  holes,  just 
as  the  little  boy  had  said. 

Then  they  moved  down  among  the  berry  bushes  and 
had  all  they  wanted  to  eat. 


186 


Putnam  &  Valentine 


IN  THE  PETRIFIED  FOREST  OF  ARIZONA 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 


WHY  THE  APACHES  ARE  FIERCE 

Pima  (Arizona) 

ELDER  BROTHER,  Coyote,  and  Earth  Doctor, 
after  the  flood  vanished,  began  to  create  people 
and  animals.    Coyote  made  all  the  animals,  El 
der  Brother  made  the  people,  and  Earth  Doctor  made 
queer  creatures  which  had  only  one  leg,  or  immense 
ears,  or  many  fingers,  and  some  having  flames  of  fire 
in  their  knees. 

Elder  Brother  divided  his  figures  of  people  into  four 
groups.  One  of  the  Apaches  came  to  life  first.  He 
shivered  and  said,  "  Oh,  it 's  very  cold,"  and  began  to 
sway  back  and  forth.  Then  Elder  Brother  said,  "  I 
did  n't  think  you  would  be  the  first  to  awake,"  and  he 
took  all  the  Apaches  up  in  his  hand  and  threw  them 
over  the  mountains.  That  made  them  angry,  and 
that  is  why  they  have  always  been  so  fierce. 


187 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 


SPEECH  ON  THE  WARPATH 

Pima  (Arizona) 

WE  have  come  thus  far,  my  brothers.  In  the 
east  there  is  White  Gopher,  who  gnaws  with 
his  strong  teeth.  He  was  friendly  and  came 
to  me.  On  his  way  he  came  to  the  surface  from  the 
underground  four  times.  Looking  in  all  four  di 
rections,  he  saw  a  magic  whitish  trail.  Slowly  fol 
lowing  this,  he  neared  the  enemy,  coming  to  the 
surface  from  the  underground  four  times  during  the 
journey.  Their  power  stood  in  their  land  like  a  moun 
tain,  but  he  bit  it  of!  short,  and  he  sank  their  springs 
by  biting  them.  He  saw  that  the  wind  of  the  enemy 
was  strong  and  he  cut  it  up  with  his  teeth.  He 
gnawed  in  short  pieces  their  clouds.  They  had 
good  dreams  and  bright  false-seeing,  good  bow 
strings  and  straight-flying  reeds,  but  these  he  grasped 
and  bit  off  short.  The  different  belongings  lying  about 
he  took  with  him,  turning  around  homeward.  On  his 
way  homeward  over  the  whitish  trail,  he  came  to  the 
surface  four  times,  and  magic  fire  appeared  around  the 
edges.  Then  he  came  to  his  bed.  He  felt  that  the  land 

roared  rejoicingly  with  him. 

188 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

In  the  south  was  Blue  Coyote  and  there  I  sent  my  cry. 
He  was  friendly  and  came  to  me  from  his  blue  dark 
ness,  circling  around  and  shouting,  four  times,  on  his 
journey,  making  magic  fire  everywhere.  When  he  ar 
rived,  he  looked  in  four  directions,  then  understood.  A 
whitish  magic  trail  lay  before  him.  He  cast  his  blue 
darkness  upon  the  enemy  and  slowly  approached  them, 
circling  around  and  shouting  four  times  on  the  way. 
Like  a  mountain  was  their  power  in  the  land,  and  he 
sucked  it  in.  The  springs  of  water  under  the  trees  he 
sucked  in.  The  wind  that  was  blowing  he  inhaled. 
He  sucked  in  the  clouds.  The  people  dreamed  of  a 
white  thing,  and  their  dreams  he  sucked  in,  with  their 
best  bow  strings  and  the  straight-flying  reeds.  All  the 
different  belongings  which  lay  around  he  gathered  and 
slowly  turned  back.  Hidden  in  the  blue  darkness,  he 
came  to  me,  circling  around,  shouting,  four  times  on 
his  journey.  Then  he  homeward  took  his  way,  circling, 
howling,  four  times,  and  shouting  reached  his  bed. 
With  pleasure  he  felt  all  directions  thud.  The  east 
echoed. 

In  the  sunset  direction  was  Black  Kangaroo  Mouse, 
an  expert  robber.  To  him  I  sent  my  cry.  He  was 
friendly  to  me  and  came  hidden  in  black  darkness,  sit 
ting  down  four  times  upon  his  way.  Magic  fire  covered 
the  edges  of  his  trail.  When  he  reached  me,  he  looked 

189 


MYTHS   AND   LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

in  all  directions.  The  magic  trail  brightly  lay  before 
him.  He  threw  black  darkness  around  him  and  slowly 
reached  the  enemy,  sitting  down  four  times  upon  the 
trail.  He  found  a  bag  of  the  enemy,  with  much  prized 
possessions.  It  was  tied  one  knot  on  top  of  another,  but 
he  bit  them  off.  He  took  from  it  the  blue  necklaces, 
blue  earrings,  and  the  different  belongings  lying  around 
gathered  up  with  him.  Then  he  slowly  took  his  way 
back  on  the  magic  trail,  with  magic  fire  everywhere. 
Hidden  in  his  yellow  darkness,  he  returned  to  me.  He 
left  the  others  at  the  council  and  in  darkness  took  his 
homeward  way,  resting  four  times.  He  sat  on  his  bed 
and  felt  all  directions  of  the  earth  rustling  in  the  dark 
ness.  Darkness  lay  all  around. 

I  called  on  Owl,  the  white  blood-sucker.  To  him  I 
sent  my  cry.  He  was  friendly  and  came  down  to  me 
with  four  thin  flys  (sailing)  on  the  way.  He  looked 
in  all  directions.  The  magic  trail  brightly  before  him 
lay.  He  flew,  with  four  thin  flys,  toward  the  enemy. 
The  mountain  of  their  power  which  stood  in  the  land 
he  bit  off  short.  The  springs  he  bit  off,  and  their  very 
good  dreams.  The  best  bow  strings  and  the  straight- 
flying  reeds  he  grasped  and  cut  very  short.  He  bit  off 
their  flesh  and  made  holes  in  their  bones.  From  the 
things  gathered,  he  made  a  belt  from  a  bowstring. 

Then  he  returned.    He  came  through  the  whitish  mist 

190 


MYTHS    AND    LEGENDS   OF   CALIFORNIA 

of  dawn  in  four  flights.  The  people  held  a  council. 
Leaving  them  there,  he  after  four  thin  flys  reached  his 
bed  in  the  gray  dawn  mist.  Then  in  all  directions  he 
heard  the  darkness  rattling,  as  he  lay  there. 


191 


MYTHS   AND    LEGENDS    OF   CALIFORNIA 


THE  SPIRIT  LAND 

Gallinomero  (Russian  River,  Cat.) 

WHEN   the  flames  burn   low  on   the   funeral 
pyres  of  the  Gallinomero,  Indian  mourners 
gather  up  handfuls  of  ashes  and  scatter  them 
high  in  air.    Thus  the  good  mount  up  into  the  air,  or 
go  to  the  Happy  Western  Land  beyond  the  Big  Water. 
But  the  bad  Indians  go  to  an  island  in  the  Bitter 
Waters,  an  island  naked  and  barren  and  desolate,  cov 
ered  only  with  brine-spattered  stone,  swept  with  cold 
winds  and  the  biting  sea-spray.   Here  they  live  always, 
breaking  stone  upon  one  another,  with  no  food  but  the 
broken  stones  and  no  drink  but  the  salt  sea  water. 


192 


MYTHS   AND   LEGENDS   OF  CALIFORNIA 


SONG  OF  THE  GHOST  DANCE 

Pal  Ute  (Kern  River,  Cat.) 

The  snow  lies  there  —  ro-rani! 
The  snow  lies  there  —  ro-rani ! 
The  snow  lies  there  —  ro-rani! 
The  snow  lies  there  —  ro-rani! 

The  Milky  Way  lies  there. 

The  Milky  Way  lies  there. 

1  This  is  one  of  the  favorite  songs  of  the  Paiute 
Ghost  dance.  .  .  .  It  must  be  remembered  that 
the  dance  is  held  in  the  open  air  at  night,  with  the  stars 
shining  down  on  the  wide-extending  plain  walled  in 
by  the  giant  Sierras,  fringed  at  the  base  with  dark  pines, 
and  with  their  peaks  white  with  eternal  snows.  Under 
such  circumstances  this  song  of  the  snow  lying  white 
upon  the  mountains,  and  the  Milky  Way  stretching 
across  the  clear  sky,  brings  up  to  the  Paiute  the  same 
patriotic  home  love  that  comes  from  lyrics  of  singing 
birds  and  leafy  trees  and  still  waters  to  the  people  of 
more  favored  regions.  .  .  .  The  Milky  Way  is  the 
road  of  the  dead  to  the  spirit  world." 


THE  END 


193 


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